The Darkness Within Us
by Prince Arjuna
Summary: The darkness lurks within us and the darkness may bring a new disaster to our heroes. P3 and P4 crossover. Please read and review. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue of The Dark Ordeal

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 1: Prologue of The Dark Ordeal

"People afraid of darkness but still be fascinated by it... because darkness is always within them..."

The young man with greyish silver hair turned his attention towards an old street fortune-teller, who had just said something. The young one gave his best quizzical look to the old one as he approached the old man.

"I could see everybody's inner darkness just by seeing their face... but you seemed to be very different, young one..." the old fortune-teller said to the young one as he looked at the face of the silver haired young man with an interested look.

"I cannot see any sign of darkness or light within yours... this is very interesting... fufufufu... it's been a while since I've encountered someone like you... may I know your name, young one?"

"I'm Souji... Seta Souji..." the young man introduced himself.

"Hmm... I see... so you're Japanese... well, good luck with your life, young one... may your future be bright..."

Souji nodded as the fortune-teller bade his goodbye. The young silver-haired student of University College London or UCL, one of the colleges of the University of London, smiled as he walked away. It would not be a surprise to see fortune-tellers in a big city like London.

"No sign of darkness? As expected for a man who had never encountered his true self..." he muttered. There will be no any negative emotions if there is no true self to begin with. Then he sighed softly.

"Maybe... I'm just... empty..." he looked to the sky of London. Actually, he had decided to have a walk around the capital city of UK, which is located in Southeast of England on Thames River. Living in a foreign country is a little bit hard than in his hometown at Japan. Besides with higher cost of living, different customs and traditions made it a little bit tough for him to communicate with the people there. Well, at least Souji had getting used with Londoner's lifestyle now. Then his cellphone rang.

He took out his cellphone and he frowned when he looked at the number of the caller. It's Yukiko!!

_Hello Souji-kun! It's me, Yukiko..._

"Hi there... how do you do?" he put his cellphone onto his right ear.

_We're fine here..._

"Thank goodness... wait, we?"

_Are you forgetting what day is today? Today is Nanako-chan's birthday!!_

Silenced...

_Don't tell me you've forgotten about that?_

Souji sighed. He never expected to forget such an important thing like that. Well, the only thing that he could put as a reason was the time difference between England and Japan.

"I'm sorry... I never expect to forget about today... it seems that I was busy with my assignments and stuff... and I forgot about the time already..." said Souji, apologetically.

_I see... well don't force yourself too much..._

Souji smiled upon hearing a concerned advice from her girlfriend. Since his departure from Inaba, they only communicated with each other via phone or letters. Yukiko also had sent her photos for Souji to see and much to his expectation because she looked just like the same that he could remember, save for being lovelier and more matured.

Then he could hear a little conversation between Yukiko and child's voice that could be owned by a certain girl.

_Nanako-chan want to speak with you..._

"Hello, Nanako-chan? Happy birthday!" said Souji as he concluded that Yukiko had handed her cellphone to Nanako.

_Big bro!! When will you come back?!! I miss you so much!!_

"I'm sorry, Nanako-chan... I can't go back for the time being... how about, next month?"

_Promise?_

"Promise. I'll buy a good present for you..."

_I wanna teddy bear!! Big teddy bear!! A big one, please?!!!!_

Souji chuckled a little by hearing the pleading voice of his little cousin. She might have grown up already and he was looking forward to see the new image of his cousin.

"Okay, I'll buy one for you... but may I speak to Yukiko for a while?" asked Souji.

_Okay!!_

_Yes?_

"I'll be back by next month... are you looking forward for that day?"

_Of course I will!_

"Good... alright, I guess time is up... jaa..."

_I love you._

"I love you too..."

~darkness~

Amagi Inn, evening. The heiress of Amagi family, Amagi Yukiko looked at her cellphone for a long time after she finished her conversation with Souji. Her best friend, Satonaka Chie found out that her best buddy seemed to be depressed a little.

"So?" that was the first word that came out from Chie.

"So what?" asked Yukiko with a bemused look.

"Did he say something like... you know..."

"Nothing really, just like usual... busy with this and that and stuff... and he said he will go back by next month..." said the beautiful young woman with her usual calm voice.

"Haha... it seems you have to wait your 'knight with shining armour' for another month, again... at least you still have your prince here..." teased Chie as she wrapped her arm around Yukiko coyly.

"Chie!!"

The high-pitched sound that came from our usual calm girl making others drew their attention to the good friends pair. Then a young man with earphones interrupted their conversation.

"Knight with shining what?" asked the earphoned one, namely Hanamura Yosuke with an innocent look. Chie looked at the son of manager of Junes with a venomous glance.

"It's not your business, Yosuke!!!" shrieked Chie. Kanji and Rise laughed by looking the routine argument of their sempais as Naoto just shook her head.

"Energetic like always..." muttered the detective.

"Oh yeah, how about Teddie? Did you invite him to this party, Yosuke-senpai?" asked the male delinquent towards Yosuke. The man in question just shrugged his shoulders.

"I can hardly see him today... he said that he was busy with something in TV world, if you know what I mean..." said Yosuke casually.

"Ah, maybe he found another bear just like him... I mean he's a male and all so it would be no surprise if he found a female one..." came out a wierd statement from our favorite female idol, Kujikawa Rise.

"Rise-chan, that sounds a little bit odd..." commented Yukiko.

"So, will Souji-senpai be here by next month, Yukiko-senpai?" asked the female detective to Yukiko.

"I hope... but I wonder if he pushed himself too much there... what if he didn't have enough food there... or what if he cannot afford himself for his living expense..." replied Yukiko, seemed to be very worried.

"Err... you worried too much, Senpai..."

Their conversations were interrupted when a certain middle-aged man entered the place. The youngest girl at that place stood up and greeted the man, which happened to be her father.

"Daddy, why are you so late?" asked Nanako.

"Sorry Nanako... we had something to be worked out at the station... luckily I have enough time to come here..." explained the father of Nanako, Dojima Ryoutaro. It sounded a little bit apologetic.

"Good day, Dojima-san..." greeted Yukiko politely to the man as he replied the greet with a slight nod.

"Well... what are we waiting for? Let the party started!!!" said Yosuke with an excited voice as he holding a can of beer in the air.

"Hey!! No alcoholic drinks here!!!" exclaimed Chie. She didn't realise that the manager's son had brought a carton of beers to the birthday party.

Most of them, including Dojima, laughed by seeing the scene.

~darkness~

Back at London. As Souji walked along the street at the city on the bridge, he didn't realize that he had been watched by two mysterious men. The first man looked at the silver haired young man intently while he ate a loaf of long bread as the other one just leaned himself on a wall while he watched the young man with a lazy manner.

"He's interesting, isn't he?" said the black haired man with long yellow scarf cheerfully as he looked at his companion. But it seemed the other one didn't respond it.

"Hey, do you listening?" the man with yellow scarf raised his voice, which made the other man looked at him. He removed the earphones on his ears.

"Do you say something?" asked the navy-haired man innocently.

"You're not fun... it's been a while since we can go out from that place..."

"We didn't leave our place to have fun in this world... it was a miracle that she allowed us to descend here without any objection..."

"Gezz... you're not fun, Minato..." the black haired man continued to take another bite of his bread as both of them observed at their subject.

"So, this is Seta Souji..."

~darkness~

Note:

Finally, I've finished my first chapter of this story. It takes me long enough for information searching, writing and others. Actually I had written another Megami Tensei fanfiction titled Persona 3 Fragmented Soul but I had to slow it down for a bit. It was a little bit disappointing because there were only a few reviews dropped by readers. But I hope it would be to readers' liking. Don't forget to review it.

That's all from me...

Albireo Imma


	2. Battle In An Alley

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 2: Battle in An Alley

_Thou art I..._

The young man was petrified for a moment when he heard those familiar whispery voice that could only be owned by someone he acquainted with.

_I am thou..._

Souji looked around him for searching the source of the voice but could found nothing. He quickly walked away from the viewing place of Thames River.

"What with that voice?" he asked himself as he walked in front of an electronic shop. There were some televisions displayed in the shop that could be seen behind the transparent glass screen. He stopped in front of the displayed electronic devices and surprise by seeing the reflected image of him on the television.

"Izanagi?" muttered him in disbelief as he saw his other self on the screen. The image of the masked persona then reverted into his normal self after a few seconds.

He could feel a sudden chill that in his spine as his image returned into normal. Then he saw two images on the screen of the television and he could recognize one of them.

"Teddie?"

Suddenly the glass screen broke and scattered into pieces. Souji protected himself from being injured by the broken pieces of glass with his hands. At the same time, a bear-like creature popped out from the television screen and then rolled on the ground.

"Teddie!!" Souji approached the bear.

"Sensei! I'm glad to see you here!!" the bear stood up. Then he look at the television. "Watch out! He's coming!!"

"He? Who's he?" asked Souji. Before Teddie could answer it, a young man with blazing red hair came out from the television. The eyes of the man were yellow in colour, same like those Shadows they fought years ago.

"This is bad!! Sensei, run!!" demanded Teddie as he grabbed Souji's hand and ran away. They entered a dark alley before both of them gasped for air into their lungs.

"What's that thing?" asked Souji between his breath.

Teddie shook and grabbed his head. "I bear-y don't know what exactly he is... but he's aftering you!!"

"Aftering me?"

"You're correct, bear... I'm here to kill him..."

Both human and bear-like creature turned their attention towards the echoed voice and found the yellow-eyed young man with red hair. He wore a sport jacket with the colour of his hair. There was purple aura emitted from his body, just like the Shadow did.

"Not a chance, you freak!! I won't allow you to hurt my Sensei! Raawr!!"

Teddie charged towards the shadow-like man and attacked him with his claw. The yellow avoid the attack and landed a punch on the bear's head. Teddie rolled on the ground before he stopped at Souji's legs.

"Are you alright?" Souji helped Teddie to pick himself. Then he looked at the yellow-eyed man, who had his left hand changed into blackish liquous material before it took form of a black sharp blade.

"You're merely a nuisance, bear... my objective is to make someone called Seta Souji perished once and for all... and if you stand on my way, you'll be perished as well too... bear..." the man spoke with a very deep voice. Suddenly, his hand emitted a glow before the glow changed into fire.

"My name is Homura..." the shadow-like person introduced himself before he threw a fireball towards Souji. Luckily Teddie jumped forward and took the hit instead. It burned some part of his body a little.

"What!?? My precious fur!! You burned my precious fur!! You gonna pay for it!!! Raawwrr!!!" as he looked at his burned blue fur, the enraged Teddie charged forward. Then, a small blue card appeared in front of him. He swung his arm and his claws crushed the card into shard of glowing blue glasses.

"Kamui!!!"

A fierce battle began between two non human-like creature and Souji just looked at the fight, never realized that there were two figures who became audiences as well.

~darkness~

"Are you sure that we shouldn't help them?" the man with yellow scarf asked his navy-haired companion who looked at the battle with him. The man in question just shrugged his shoulders. The man's face seemed solemn. Both of them stood on a building not far from the duel.

"C'mon!! Don't do that to me!!! I know I used most of your money to buy breads and those adult magazines, but don't give me that face, will ya!!?" protested the less serious man towards the quiet one.

"That bear... he's a Shadow, right? For what purpose that bear is helping him?" the man with blue hair asked his companion. The black haired man looked at the bear-like creature.

"Who knows? Maybe he's same like me... I'm a Shadow too..." said the less serious man chirpily. The bluenette raised his eyebrow.

"Anyway... just look at them for now..." the navy-haired one continued to focus himself to the duel under them. His restless companion just sighed for the bluenette's seriousness.

~darkness~

Again, Teddie rolled on the ground before stopped at his sensei's leg. Some burn marks could be seen on the bear's blue fur. The bear groaned as he picked himself up with Souji's help.

"I know you're still wanted to live, bear... if you decide to run away, I'll not chase you... my only objective is to kill the man behind you..." said Homura with his echoed voice.

"I won't let you touch my sensei!!!" yelled Teddie, enraged.

"Why do you want to kill me?" asked Souji. He seemed to be a little bit calm than Teddie. "Tell me, Homura..." The shadow-like man just chuckled as Souji gave him the question. It seemed that he found something that might interest him.

"You seem to be very calm, human... no wonder you could defeat the ruler of undead, Izanami..." said Homura with his slightly amused tone. Souji surprised by hearing the name again after his last battle with the goddess five years ago. It seemed that Homura knew about Izanami.

"You know Izanami?"

"Of course I know her... she tried to cover the world with fog and bestowed the power of Izanagi to some people, including you!!" his black hand turned back into normal and pointed his finger towards the silverette. "With the power of a god, you are a dangerous threat for my master's great ambition..."

"Who's your master? Izanami?" asked Souji once again. He wondered if the goddess was the shadow-like man's master.

Suddenly, Homura laughed. Souji could feel the ground trembled a little by the man's maniacal laugh.

"Of course not!! How could she want to kill a child of a man that she had praised after that last battle?!" said Homura after laughing. He smirked before his left hand turned into black liquous material again. "But sadly, you would never know it, because I'll kill you..."

The man charged forward while his liquous hand turned into black blade. Teddie stood in front of Souji protectively. "Don't worry sensei... this time, I'll protect you!! Kamui!!"

The red and blue persona appeared and casted a powerful Bufudyne attack. Homura dodged the attack with a step behind before he dashed forward. He casted Maragidyne, and a series of blazing fire engulfed both Souji and Teddie. Souji closed his eyes and covered his face with his hand, tried to endure the blazing heat of the red fire.

"Sensei!!" as the fire began to burn both of them, Teddie jumped towards Souji and took the fire upon himself. His fur on his back was burned, producing a very black soot with the smell of burning fabric.

"Teddie, are you alright?" asked Souji, concerned with Teddie's condition. Teddie groaned as he tried to withstand the pain he got after protecting Souji with his very own body.

"Sensei... I'll stop him here... you should go now!"

"How touching..." commented Homura, clapping his hands by seeing Souji and Teddie. "I have an idea... what if I kill you too so he would never feel lonely after his death..."

By hearing that, Souji looked straight at Homura's face. His eyes seemed to be filled with anger and hatred, same like what he had shown towards Namatame during his cousin, Nanako's 'death'. He clenched his fist and said with a very deep and monotonous tone "You'll pay for hurting my friend, monster..."

"Aha! That's what I'd like to hear from you..." said Homura, enjoying himself. Then, he charged forward with his black sword ready to stab his victim.

~darkness~

Souji could not believe what he had saw just now. Teddie was standing in front of him, protecting him from the fatal attack with his very own body. The black sword stabbed the bear's chest. A black blade protruded from the bear's back and black substance seemed to drip from the tip of weapon.

"Teddie!!"

Homura pulled his hand out and kicked the bear. Teddie fell on the ground near Souji's leg, limply. Souji lowered himself, tried to give help to his friend.

"Hang on there..." said Souji.

"I'll... protect... you... Sensei..." said Teddie between his breath, weakly.

"Well... that's might benefit you after all... you'll never feel lonely after this..." the shadow guy cleaned his hand nonchalantly with his clothes. An evil smirk formed on his face.

Souji stood up before he picked a very solid looking steel pipe. He readied himself with his battle stance, just like what he did when he faced the sinister Shadows six years ago. Then, a small blue card appeared in front of him, showing a face of his inner self. He grabbed the card and crushed it with his hand. The card pieces turned into shard of glowing blue glasses.

"Izanagi!!"

An ethereal being formed on him, wore a black coat, same like a yakuza's bancho would wear and armed with a naginata, Amenonuhoko according to its legend. The god spun his weapon before he swung the spear onto Homura. The attack left a gash on the man's shoulder.

Not long after that, Souji dashed forward and hit the man's temple with his steel pipe. The hit sent Homura flying onto the wall of the alley. Dust and debris could be seen as the man slammed on the concrete wall. Souji took this chance to cast a powerful lightning attack.

"Ziodyne!!!"

A ray of electricity struck down the enemy. Before Souji could let out a sigh of relief, he felt a sudden pain on his right arm. Using the power seemed to give a back draw when he didn't use it for a long time.

Souji tried to withstand the pain and he looked at Teddie. Before he could rush towards the lying bear, he heard a non-humanlike scream behind him. He turned his head and saw Homura, with his shoulder and forehead injured. Black substance dripped from his wound.

"You gonna pay for it, mortal!!" yelled the now injured Homura with his demonic voice. The purple aura that he emitted seemed to thicken and his feature began to change. Then, black substance formed from his body and engulfed him like a cocoon. As the black cocoon began to dissipate, a monstrous feature emerged. As Souji could see it clearly, it was a giant lizard with red skin and fiery eyes. The monster stuck out his long tongue that seemed to be like a whip that was burned.

The temperature around them began to rise and Souji threw the steel pipe as the metal thing heated. He tried to use his body to protect Teddie.

"Die!!!" as the monster said the word, he swung his large hand downward onto Souji and Teddie. Souji closed his eyes, wishing it would over soon. The moment never came and he heard someone talking.

"Hey, what're you doing, Minato? You said that we shouldn't help!!"

Souji opened his eyes and found a navy-haired man in black trench coat, blocking the attack with his bare left hand while holding a rapier in his right hand. The man looked behind.

"You did well, Seta-san... now, leave it to me..." said the mysterious newcomer. He pushed the monster with his hand and the monster was threw behind. He took something from his overcoat and the thing was a metallic gun. Souji was petrified as the man put the gun on his own head.

"What are you..."

Before Souji could finish it, the man pulled the trigger and the sound of breaking glass could be heard. Then, an ethereal being took its shape on the bluenette. The semi mechanical being had white hair and black skin. Its body was mechanical and his head was organic. A long red scarf wrapped the being's neck.

"A Persona?"

The man smiled as he looked at his other self. The Persona and his summoner looked at each other before he nodded curtly as the bluenette had communicated with him telepathically.

"Bash!!"

The persona reached a white harp behind him and hit the red monster with the musical instrument. Although the hit wasn't too strong, the attack made the monster fell on his knee. The bluenette charged forward and with a swift swing, he managed to cut one of the monster's legs.

The giant lizard screamed in agony as one of his limbs was cut. The navy-haired man didn't waste his opportunity and he stabbed the lizard's face. He put the gun on his temple again and summoned yet another being, taking form of a white tiger.

"Byakko, Thunder Reign!!"

A very powerful lightning struck the monster as the persona, which is a one of four holy guardians in Shinto's mythology appeared in front of the navy-haired stranger. As the debris began to fade, he groaned a little.

"Darn... he's escaped..."

The man walked towards Souji and lent him a hand of help. He lowered himself to examine Teddie's condition.

"Don't worry... he'll be fine..." said the man with a reassuring smile. He placed his hand on the bear's wound and the hand glowed. Souji could feel the warmth that was emitted by the man's hand. Slowly, the wound gone.

"You should bring him to the hospital... I know he has his human form..." suggested the man. He stood up. Then, he seemed to be a little unstable and slumped on the ground.

"Mister!!"

"Sigh... you never changed, do you? There's no need for you to use such a powerful spell for that thing..." then a chirpy voice could be heard. A man with yellow scarf and pale skin appeared and helped his companion to stand up.

Souji looked at both of the men. He could feel the presence of powerful power within them, especially the navy-haired one.

"Thanks for helping us, mister..."

"Don't mention it, kiddo..."

~darkness~

Note:

Yes, second chapter released!! I was kind a bit disappointed as only one review dropped by reader. But thanks for yarra for reading my story. I like to read your fanfics although all of them are Indonesian. I don't mind because I still can understand them because I'm a Malaysian and I know Indonesian a little bit. For this story, a little battle had occurred in London. I thought that if Teddie could go to London via TV world, it never sound ridiculous after all. Expect something from my story and please read and review, okay?

Albireo Imma


	3. The Man Who Returns

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 3: The Man Who Returns

"How was him?" asked the navy-haired man towards the silverette who walked out from the ward.

"He's stable for now... there's some doctors monitoring him..." said Souji with his usual calm voice. Then he asked, "If you don't mind, may I know your name?"

The navy-haired man raised his eyebrow. "Minato... my name's Arisato Minato..." he answered the question.

"Seta Souji... oh, I forgot you know my name already... well, good to know you..."

"Same here..."

Two hands extended towards each other as both of them acquainting themselves to the other. Then Minato looked at his now sleeping black-haired companion, who was dozed off on the bench outside the ward room.

"You should go back to your house now... I think it's not wise for you to wander around while you've became a target..." suggested Minato. It's Souji's turn to raise his eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the silverette, confused.

"We'll tell you later... that idiot over there is needed for helping me to explain everything to you... I'll wait him to wake up..." said the bluenette as he stuck his thumb backwards towards the sleeping man. Souji looked at the black haired man. An adult magazine was placed on his chest while he was lying on the long bench.

"Alright... I'll go now... please take care of Teddie... good day..." Souji nodded before he walked.

"Yes... and be careful out there..."

~darkness~

Souji searched for the key of his room as he arrived in front of the door of his room at the flat. Then, he heard a feminine voice behind him. "Oh, Souji-san, welcome back..."

Souji looked behind and smiled as he saw his senpai at the college. The blonde girl who wore a blue long jacket gave her junior a smile. She was a medical student in UCL whereas Souji studies psychology in the same institution. She became an acquaintance for him because there is so few Japanese there. Both of them live at the flat.

"Ah... Aigis-san... how are you?" greeted the silver haired man towards the blonde girl.

"I'm fine... wait, what's this?" suddenly, the girl found some burn marks on Souji's clothes. The silverette surprised for a while as he saw the marks. He didn't realize that Homura's flame had burned his clothes a little bit.

"Err... I... oh, I burned it when I was... smoking! Yes, smoking!" answered Souji nervously. He knew that Aigis would not believe him because she knew that Souji never smoke before.

"Really? Well, since you're an adult now, it's okay to smoke... but, remember it might affect your health..." said the blonde before she unlocked her door and entered it. Souji just looked at the door of his senpai's room.

_She actually believes it?_

Putting all the things aside, he unlocked the door and entered his room. He put his bag on his table and laid himself on the couch. He put both his hands behind his head and he looked at the ceiling. He was thinking about all the things that happened today. As he busied himself to think about it, his eyes slowly closed, drifting him to darkness. Well, not actually darkness as suddenly bluish light entered his vision.

~darkness~

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, my dear young man..."

He found himself in the Velvet Room but this time, he was not inside the limousine, but instead in an elevator which only moving upwards. He looked at the master of the room, Igor who seemed to never change since their last meeting. But this time, he was accompanied by two females. One of them was Margaret, holding a black tome and she gave Souji a polite nod.

Souji turned his head towards another female. She was about the same height as Margaret, only with shorter hair and like Margaret, she also holding a black tome.

"Although I believe I had mentioned about her last time, but may I introduce her to you... she's Elizabeth..."

"Nice to meet you..." the newly introduced Elizabeth spoke with her slightly childish voice.

Then, Igor swayed his hand, and two red notebooks appeared on the table in front of them. "You know what should you do, right?" said the old man before he chuckled. The silverette just sighed as he reached a quill that was unnoticed by him before. Then, he realized that there's something odd.

"What with these two books?" asked Souji. Igor just chuckled before he answered "The other one was for someone you had already known... and he'll come here for any moment..."

Then, he heard someone opened the blue door at the elevator. He looked at the door and nearly choked as he saw Minato entered the place.

"Oh... I've expected you to come here, Arisato Minato..." said Igor with his high pitched voice. He swayed his hand and a metal chair appeared beside the chair that Souji had sat on.

"Good to see you here, Igor..." said Minato with his deep voice. He sat on the metal chair, not after he glanced at one of the assistants that were accompanying Igor, Elizabeth. She gave him a warm smile before she nodded.

As Souji signed on the notebook, Minato signed on the other one. As both of them finished to sign the contract, the books gone.

"I wish both of you know the consequences for your actions..." said Igor.

"Yes... both of us will abide by contracts and assume responsibility for the choices we make in return for your help so we can hone our unique skill, wild cards..." said Minato nonchalantly. Souji looked at the bluenette's face, confused.

"Our unique skill, do you mean..."

"Yes... we're the possessors of the ability of wild cards, the ability that allow us to use multiple personas... I know from the start that you possessed the power naturally while I was not..." said Minato again. His voice seemed bitter when he said that his wild cards ability was not achieved naturally.

"Now then, time marches on your world, Seta Souji... farewell..." then he could feel his vision darkened. He looked beside him and saw the face of the bluenette. Before his vision became black, he saw Minato smiled at him.

~darkness~

Aigis sat on the bed after dressed herself with clothes that Yukari selected for her at Japan last year. Having a body that will never grow gives her an advantage. She have many clothes because Yukari bought them for her, because her lack of sense of style.

Aigis is a female android, or gynoid who was created for the purpose of defeating Shadows. She has an ability to summon Persona so she can use it against Shadows. Her first mission after she was created was to defeat a fleeing Shadow. Although she didn't manage to defeat the monster, she had sealed it into a boy, who was happened to be 'him'.

She stayed dormant after the mission and was sent to a research laboratory in Yakushima. She stopped from functioning for almost ten years, until 'he' came. Soon after that, she was enlisted as one of the SEES or Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad members. She was also the one who responsible for the elimination of Dark Hour and the prevention of The Fall, although the one who was fully responsible to make the Dark Hour to perish is 'him'.

She sighed softly. For almost six years, she could not list all the human traits she had learned when she lived among humans. Then, she stood up and walked towards a cupboard. She crouched and opened a drawer. She took out a small blue object which was happened to be an MP3 player, one of 'his' beloved possession.

She stared the player for a long time and some sweet memories came back into her mind. She smiled before she put the player back into the drawer.

Seta Souji... yes, Seta Souji reminded her of 'him'. His efficiency in term of voice reminded her of the man she misses a lot. The most similar feature between them is their eyes. Souji's silvery gray eyes seem to be very similar to 'his' bluish gray eyes.

She acquainted with him about two years ago when they were bumped to each other. Since that day, she became the man's Senpai.

Suddenly, her cellphone rang. She answered the phone. "Hello... oh, Dr. Anthony... do you want to meet me there? Alright!"

She picked her handbag and put her cellphone into it. As she walked out from her room, she realized that her neighbor came out from his room as well.

"Ah, Aigis-san... what a coincidence... where are you going?" asked the newly came out silverette.

"Well... I want to go to hospital... I've to meet someone..."

"Oh, another coincidence... I'm also going to hospital... what if we go together?" suggested Souji.

"Alright..."

Both of them walked side by side when they went to the direction of the hospital. Both of them talked to each other about many things like their studies and other stuff. Then, Aigis stopped. "Souji-san..."

Souji looked behind, surprised by Aigis' sudden halt. "What's the matter, Aigis-san?"

"I... want you to know something..." Aigis spoke uncertainly. She lowered her gaze before she looked up to the man's face. Souji was taller than her in term of height.

"Go on..." Souji encouraged her to say it.

"Actually... I'm a... robot..."

Souji was rather astonished by the sudden revelation. It might answer the lack her family's name and the presence of earphone-like ears. But, it's very rare to see an actual robot except at manufacturing factories and laboratories.

"Well?" Aigis looked at the silverette's face, pleading for an answer.

"Uh... actually, I kinda surprised by that, you know... actually to know that you're robot... but, why are you telling me this?"

The blonde android looked at the ground once again as Souji gave her another question. "You know... there're so few people who know that I am a robot... some of my friends and teachers in college know about it though... and my friends in Japan know it too... and it might be unfair if you didn't know about it, because you're my friend..."

Souji froze as he heard Aigis said that he was her friend. Yes, they're friend now. The only thing was that he never had many friends in any place he set his foot on.

"I... I glad to hear that... to hear that I am your friend..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and you should treat her friend a dinner treat, will you?"

"Souji-san!!"

"Just kidding..."

"You're evil..."

"Haha... don't give me that face, will you?"

~darkness~

As they arrived at the hospital, both of them went to different direction. Souji went to the direction of the ward where his friend, Teddie was located. As he arrived in front of the ward room, he found Minato and his companion sat on the bench.

"Ah, we've expected you to come, Seta-san..." greeted the bluenette.

"You might probably had known my name earlier, but may I introduce myself... my name is Mochizuki Ryoji..." the other man introduced himself.

"I never said your name to him... " said Minato nonchalantly.

"Hey!! Stop abusing me!!" protested Ryoji. "Sorry for that, but if you wanna know about your teddy bear friend, he's still asleep... but the docs wouldn't mind if you want to pay a brief visit..." said the black haired man again.

"Thank you, Mochizuki-san..." Souji bowed towards the addressed man before he entered the ward. He saw a young blonde boy who was lying on his bed. His chest had a little mark of scar. He seemed to be sleeping.

"Teddie... thank you for everything..." said the silverette as he sat on the chair near the bed. He stroked the blonde hair on the boy's head. "I know there's nothing I can do to repay it..." he said again, humbly.

Then, he looked at the scar on the boy's chest. Suddenly, he imagined the face of that wicked Homura, laughing with his burning hands. He felt that his mind was filled with anger and hatred. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. The only thing he could bear to think was his hatred towards the shadow-man.

"Seta-san, it seems that your mind is filled with those negative emotions... you might lose your power if it continues..." came a deep voice. Souji looked behind and saw Minato and Ryoji entered the ward room.

"He's hurting my friend... I cannot afford to stay calm..." said Souji, tried to suppress his anger.

"True, that's true... and it proves that we are never empty after all..."

"Excuse me?"

"Just think that I never said that... we'll say about the main point. Would you like to hear it?"

The silverette gave a nod.

"Okay... have you heard about Apathy Syndrome?" Minato gave the silver haired man his first question. Souji nodded once again.

"Good... seven years ago... some places in Japan were plagued by Apathy Syndrome, especially Port Island... the truth is, all cases of Apathy Syndrome were caused by the Shadows and Dark Hour..."

"Consider the Dark Hour same just like that TV world that you had encountered years ago..." Ryoji added as Souji tried to ask them what Dark Hour actually means.

"And I was among the Persona-users there... because Dark Hour only occurred during midnight and those who had no potential will be transmogrified into coffins... and they will never know about what happened during the Dark Hour... and in every Dark Hour, a tower would be formed... we called it Tartarus..."

Souji tried to absorb all those information. He had to save all his questions later.

"And then..."

"And the main reason of the existence of Dark Hour and Tartarus was him..." explained Minato as he pointed his thumb towards Ryoji. Souji was shocked by that revelation.

"I thought both of you are friends..."

"He was my enemy at that time... his real identity is Thanatos, the God of Death, The Herald of Nyx... he's previously a Shadow and then became my Persona... and then once again became a Shadow... he became Nyx Avatar when the world was nearly destroyed... but we managed to take him down..."

"You know, that attack of yours still hurt..." added the less serious man.

"But, he managed to stand up and he's calling upon Nyx... and we succumbed by Nyx's mighty power... but then..."

"Social Links?"

"Yes... the bonds that I've forged with people I knew gave me a new power... and I used it to face Nyx all by myself..."

Souji fell into his own thought. Yes, Social Links are his main source of his power, by forming bonds with others. With the power of Social Links also bestowed him a new power and persona, Izanagi-no-Okami, which possessed the power of Myriad Truth that had defeated the Goddess of Death, Izanami.

"And with the power, I sealed Nyx... and the sealing process taking my life as well..."

The silverette raised his eyebrow as he heard Minato's last sentences. "Wait, what you mean that it was taking your life as well?" he asked. Ryoji laughed when he heard the question and Minato seemed to expect the question.

"Great Seal... the power to seal a great entity with a life as a cost... I used it against Nyx... although I was supposed to die; I managed to live for another month before I died peacefully..."

Souji glared at the bluenette, seemed to not believe what he had said.

"So... how can you live for now?" asked Souji, skeptically.

"It started when the embodiment of humanity that wants to reach Nyx, Erebus, stopped to call upon Nyx... at first, we thought that's natural until we found something strange... that idiot over there detected a same presence as Nyx in human world... so both of us left our place and went to this world..." explained Minato as he pointed his finger towards Ryoji.

"Then, why Nyx was willing to let you go to this world? It seems if there's a destroyer wanted to destroy the world, why don't she leave it just like that?" asked Souji again. He was true after all because there's a same being just like Nyx in the world, why didn't she let it do it's job? It may make her job easier.

"You know... she's sometimes upset if there's another thing that wanted to destroy this world... she almost broke Minato's seal when she knew that Izanami wanted to destroy the world as well..." said the black haired man.

"O...kay... that's weird..." commented Souji. "So, the main point, please? And what about that man who want to kill me and had injured Teddie?"

"We had tracked him for about one week... and we had located him inside Midnight Channel... and to be truth, he _**was**_ a Shadow..."

"Was a Shadow? What do you mean by that?" asked Souji when he realised that Minato had used past tense in his sentences.

"He possessed the intelligence and body like the human... unlike Ryoji who obtained his human form because of me and also about that your bear friend who obtained his human form because of… well, me myself can't explain that, that man was different... he seems to be... evolved..."

"Evolved?"

Then, they heard someone walking outside the ward room.

"Ah... excuse me..." Souji stood up and walked towards the door. He opened the door and found Aigis outside the room.

"Souji-san... sorry to interrupt your meeting... but if you don't mind, what if we go to the cafeteria downstairs..." suggested the blonde android.

"I'd like to..." answered Souji with a smile.

Aigis took a peek inside the ward saw a blonde young man who was lying on the bed. As she turned her vision to another person inside the room, she suddenly gasped as she saw a familiar feature.

"Eh?" Minato realized the girl's presence. He stood up.

The android's eyes widened and the books that she were holding fell on the floor. She was trembled before she ran away. Souji was surprised by the girl's sudden reaction.

"Aigis-san!!!" he followed the girl's direction.

Minato sighed as he followed them as well as Ryoji.

"Kinda reminds you about Yakushima, right?"

~darkness~

Yay, new reviews!!! Thanks for Resha04, fox-white-moon and KingJester for reviewing my story. Because of that, I updated this story. In this story, Aigis will be introduced. She became Souji's senior in the college. So, expect something if she met Minato. As usual, please review.

Albireo Imma


	4. Reunion

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 4: Reunion

"Aigis-san!!" Souji ran outside the building of hospital, searching for any trace of the female android. He tried to search her everywhere.

Then, he heard footsteps behind him. Those were Minato and Ryoji.

"It was nostalgic, isn't it? There's no need for you to have yourself covered when you're searching any matching database about me..." said Minato. The same also had happened when both of them first meeting with each other at Yakushima.

Soon after that, a blonde girl, dressed in dark blue jacket emerged from behind a big tree near the hospital. She seemed hesitated. She walked nearer to Minato and looked at the bluenette's face. Then, she placed her gloved hand on the man's face before her blue eyes glowed a little bit.

"Are you... Minato-san?" asked Aigis, uncertainly. She searched for any database that related to Minato inside her head. Souji could hear the weird sound came out from the blonde's head, like a sound of beeping computer.

"Yes... and I'll always be..." answered Minato coolly. He touched the girl's hand that had touched his cheek.

Souji could see tear came out from the android's eyes before she wrapped her arms around the bluenette's neck and put her face on the man's chest. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No... It's me and I'm real. See? I still have my legs attached..." said Minato, wanted to make the atmosphere a little bit lighter. Aigis was laughing between her sobs.

"It's good to see you here..." Minato continued, stroking the blonde's hair.

Souji who was became the spectator just looked at the drama in front of him with Ryoji. The man with yellow scarf just grinned.

"It's good to have someone to be loved, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Yukiko's face visited his mind. By looking at both Aigis and Minato, he wished to see the one he loves very much. He wished to go back. He wished to return home. He wished to return to Inaba.

~darkness~

Souji was lifting the female android at his back. Aigis seemed to be asleep. Some trails of tear could be seen on the girl's face.

"She lives near my house... so I'll bring her home..." said Souji to Minato and Ryoji. "This is our address..." Souji took out a small card which had his room number and his address on it.

"I glad to hear that you know her... so, please be good with her, okay?" reminded Minato before he walked away with Ryoji. Souji brought the girl on his back. The girl was surprisingly lighter than he thought.

"Umm... Minato-san..." Souji could hear a weak voice behind him. Aigis mumbled in her sleep. He knew that Aigis was dreaming about Minato in her sleep. Souji smiled. How could this machine be so human? That was a question that revolved inside his mind.

Finally, they arrived at their flat. Souji searched the key of Aigis' room in her pocket. As he found it, he unlocked the door and brought the girl inside. He placed the girl on her bed. Souji looked around and found out that the room was filled with several enhanced types of computers. The computers were beeping as like they knew that Aigis was arrived home. Then, he looked at a photo on the desk. It was a photo during Graduation Ceremony. There was writing on it.

_Gekkoukan High School's Graduation's Day 2012_

In the photo, Aigis was standing in the middle of the group that consisted of four students. Beside her was a brunette female, holding her certification and smiling. At the other side was a girl with pale green hair who smiled sweetly while beside the green haired girl was a boy with a cap on his head, grinning like an idiot.

Then, Souji found out that at the end of the group, which happened to be beside the brunette girl, was left empty. Then, he looked behind the photo.

_It's good to be friends... I wish 'he' was there too..._

"So... that place was for Minato..." he muttered before he put back the photo on the desk. He looked at the sleeping girl on her bed.

"Good night..." he switched off the lamp.

~darkness~

"What are you doing?" asked Ryoji to Minato as Minato was still awoken.

"Don't you see that I was eating? You spent most of my money to buy breads and those nasty magazines, and left me with only 50£..." said Minato bitterly, slurping the instant noodle.

"Don't make that face, can you? It had been one week since we came to this world... so I suggest that we should enjoy!!"

"Shut up or you'll suffer a great consequence..." that threat managed to shut the black haired man's mouth. "Next week, we'll fly back to Japan... because we managed to find our target, Seta Souji. We can't live here any longer, and they might probably have known about me..."

"Do you mean... the evolved Shadows?"

"Yeah... this might be a little bit hard than last time..."

~darkness~

Yukiko was on her bed when she heard her cellphone rang. She took the phone and smiled when she looked at the caller's number.

"Hi, Souji-kun!!"

_Yukiko, I've to go back by next week..._

"Ah?" she heard the voice of the man was a little hasty. "Did something happen?"

_Well... I'll tell you later... and there's more..._

"What is it?"

_Please tell everyone to not enter TV world... it is a little bit dangerous..._

"Why? We didn't enter it unless if we pay a visit at Teddie's place. And, how about Teddie? Is he okay to live there?" asked Yukiko, finally realized the man's seriousness.

_About him, he'll be okay... I'll tell you later. And, please tell Naoto to call me..._

"Naoto-kun? Well... okay!"

_Thank you..._

Yukiko looked at her phone as her conversation with Souji finished. "Don't go to TV world? Is something happened?" she muttered to herself. Then, she dialed numbers on her cellphone and the number was owned by her best friend, Chie.

"Chie!"

_What's the matter, Yuki? Did something happen?_

"Yes! Please tell everyone to not go into TV world! It's dangerous!! And could you ask Naoto-kun to contact Souji-kun?"

_What? Danger?_

"Souji-kun had told me to tell you guys... and he'll back tomorrow... please tell them hurry, I afraid Yosuke-kun might enter the TV world to search for Teddie..." said Yukiko, worried.

_O... okay... I'll tell everyone... I've to check whether Yosuke entered the TV or not..._

~darkness~

"I see... so Teddie is in London?" the detective was talking with someone with her phone.

_Yes... and it proves that we don't know all things about TV world._

Shirogane Naoto was talking to her senpai, Souji about what he knew. "So, Izanami was not the one who was trying to kill you..."

_Yes. But, I think the main culprit is someone who related to her... so I want you to search anything about her... and don't forget to refer to Kojiki..._

"Did you mean 'The Record of Ancient Matters'?"

Kojiki or Furukotofumi is the oldest surviving book in Japan. In Europe, it is known as 'The Record of Ancient Matters'. Although it was written in Chinese, it includes numerous Japanese names and phrases. It is a story detailing the creation of deities, and throughout Chamberlain's translation in 1882, the area where the events were said to have unfolded is thought to occur upon the 'island' or land-mass created by Izanagi and Izanami.

_Yes, I think we might find the answer from it... I'll be back by next week. And there's more, I've found another Persona-user..._

"I see... so, see you next week..."

~darkness~

Souji looked at his cellphone. He was talking with Naoto a moment ago about what had happened at London. Then, he stood up and walked towards the television. He stared the screen of the electronic device before he touched the screen with his fingertip. He could feel that his finger was sucked into the screen. He pulled it out before it was sucked any deeper.

_The power to control multiple personas... the persona is representing someone's inner self, which happened to be a mask... so, having multiple personas will mean that I've many masks..._

Souji turned his head and faced the mirror. He could see a glimpse of his other self on it before it reverted into normal. Specifically, it was Izanagi.

Then he heard someone's knocking his door. He walked towards the door and opened it. The people who were standing outside his room were Minato and Ryoji. Both of them dressed in black trench coats like they had on last night.

"Oh, Arisato-san, Mochizuki-san, please come in..."

"Minato, if you please... there's no need for you to be so polite to us..."

Both of the men entered the room and sat on the couch.

"About Aigis, how's she?" asked Minato.

"She's fine... she's still sleeping in her room..." the silverette answered. Aigis was sleeping in her room since last night.

"She's probably too excited because of Minato..." the black haired man said with his usual high-pitched voice while sitting on the couch.

"After my death, there are so many things she had gone through... she suffered too much already... actually, I don't want to involve her into this..." the navy-haired man looked down. "Like me, she's a Persona-user... and she inherited my power once... I don't know whether she still have it or not..."

Once again, Souji gasped. This time, he finally knew that his Senpai was once a Persona-user, and had wielded the power of the wild card once, after Minato's death. He thought that he is the only one who was hiding the secret.

"This time, I'll follow you!!"

All the men in the room turned their head towards the voice and found Aigis, standing at the door. Her face seemed very determined. Minato just sighed.

"Since I knew the reason of your death, my Persona reverted back into Athena... and, I never use it since that... but if you wanted to save the world, I'll follow you!"

Minato was fell silent for a while before he closed his eyes and answered, "do whatever you think is right..."

Aigis smiled and said "Thank you..."

Then, Aigis looked at the silverette at the room. After some awkward moments, she finally spoke, "Sorry for hiding this, about my Persona..."

"I... I'm sorry too..." said Souji, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

Suddenly the moment was interrupted by the only less serious person in the room. "Hey!! Don't make such a face like that in here!! We're here to talk about the important matters, yes?" the less serious person was not other than Mochizuki Ryoji.

Minato coughed a little, drawing the other people's attention. "Well, I think this is the time to talk about that important matter." He told everything that he had told Souji to Aigis. After several seconds of absorbing the information, Aigis nodded her head.

"So... Souji-san is in danger, right? What's your plan?" she looked at Minato.

"I think this place is unsafe for him and for me for a while... so to make our second move, we'll fly back to Japan next week..." the bluenette explained.

"Wait? You've died once... so I don't think you still have your identification documents with you, right?" asked the blonde android, a little bit confused.

The black haired man grinned as he took out two passports from his coat.

"We have prepared those days ago..." said Ryoji. Aigis took one of them as Souji took another one. As the blonde android looked at the passport, she was face-faulted for a moment.

"Leon S. Kennedy...?" she read the name in the passport that was owned by Minato. The name was obviously taken from something they knew.

"And about Ryoji-san's name..." same like Aigis, Souji was face-faulted as well.

"Kiddy Kickass..."

"How uncreative..."

"True..."

~darkness~

"Sorry to involve you into this problem, Ted..." said Souji, apologetically. He sat on the chair near the bed.

"Don't worry sensei... I'll be there for you..." answered the bishonen blonde guy on the bed. Souji smiled and petted the bear's head.

"Remember, don't enter TV world because it's danger for now... we should be back to Japan by plane..."

"Plane? Do you mean 'aeroplane'? Yippie!! I'm the luckiest bear in the world!!"

Looking at Teddie's happiness, Souji smiled. It seemed that the incident in the other day had been forgotten by him. Soon after that, a bluenette entered the ward room. "Hi, Seta-san, Teddie-kun..."

"Ah, Naoto-like man!! Good morning!!" Souji raised his eyebrow as the bear said the word 'Naoto-like man'. As he observed Minato's face, it almost resembled the detective's, save for more masculine and angular. His deep tone also made him unrealized the similarities.

"How 'bout you, Teddie-kun? Feel any better?" asked Minato to Teddie.

"Yeah, thank you bear-y much!!"

Minato took out something from his coat. It was a passport. He handed it to Teddie.

"This is for you... I asked Ryoji to get it... because I think there's nothing strange about your name, so we leave your name just like that..." the bluenette explained.

Teddie looked at his passport. The name of the owner was written as 'Teddie' instead of a fake name like Minato and Ryoji did. Then, he smiled as he looked at his pictures.

"Good morning!" then, a blonde android entered the room. She brought a basket of fruits. Teddie whistled as he saw the newcomer. "Hi baby, wanna hang out sometimes?"

"Teddie... she's... a robot..." Souji whispered to Teddie's ear.

"So, what's the big deal? I'm a bear..."

"That's not what I mean..." Souji sighed.

~darkness~

In a world that was hidden from any human sight, there were four people, talking to each other. One of them was Homura, with a scar mark on his face and a bandaged right arm.

"That man!! I never know him!!" said the red-haired man angrily. A girl with turquoise hair was standing beside him, with her eyes closed.

"I've told you before, don't underestimate our enemies... now, you owe me an arm..." as the girl with greenish-blue hair spoke, she opened her eyes, revealing two glowing yellowish orbs.

"There, there... don't be so moody, Sui, Homura..." said the other bespectacled man with white hair, tried to make the situation light.

"Shut your trap, Raiga!!" yelled Homura, enraged.

"You're such an annoying brat, you fiery lizard... you even revealing your true form to them, and being defeated..." said a woman with pink hair that was sitting on a metal chair with a very solemn tone. "Now, consider that he's now protected by his friends, so there's no way we can manage to go near him..."

Homura snorted and Raiga sighed. Sui leaned herself on the wall and the pink-haired woman stood up.

"So, what's our next plan, Kazematsuri?"

"We will still stick ourselves with our primary objective so our master's wish could be granted..."

"Kill Seta Souji..."

~darkness~

Finally, the day for them to return to Japan had come. First, Souji and Aigis managed to have a long break. The method they used to obtain the break is still a mysterious case, although Teddie was also involved in this.

Then, in the airport, there's another incident when Teddie and Ryoji were slapped by stewardesses when they tried to flirt with them. Both Minato and Souji just sighed as they looked at the hand marks on their poor friends' face.

Finally, inside the plane, Teddie and Ryoji sat side by side. It has become another mysterious case as why they could get along with each other so quickly. Easy to say, they had become fast friends. Aigis sat in the middle, between Minato and Souji. Teddie and Ryoji exchanged their nasty stories and finally fell asleep because of the long trip. Minato and Aigis were also sleeping. The female android leaned her head on the bluenette's shoulder. The only one who's not sleeping among the group was Souji.

Souji smiled to see Aigis leaned her head on Minato's shoulder while sleeping. He decided to sleep as well. So, he closed his eyes, and...

Suddenly, he felt that he was sucked into another dimension. As he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the metal chair in the Velvet Room. He looked beside him and saw Minato, sitting on the other chair. He was holding some cards with pictures of the personas.

"Ah, you've came too?" the bluenette said. He inserted the cards into his pocket.

"So, why're we here?" asked the silverette.

"Precisely, both of you are sleeping in the real world... the reason why I summoned both of you into the Velvet Room is to inform you about your Persona Compedium..." explained Igor, who was sitting opposite them.

"To not make it confusing, I asked Elizabeth to hold Minato's Personas and Margaret to hold Souji's Personas... any objection?"

"Sound's better for me..." said Minato.

"Me either..." the silverette spoke.

"Well then, that's all I can tell you here... so, farewell..."

~darkness~

After a very long flight, finally the plane reached Narita International Airport. Souji looked from the window to see outside the plane.

"Welcome to Japan..."

~darkness~

Wow!! So many reviews already?! Thank you for those who reviewing my story. At first, I intended to make this story with Souji and Naoto pairing but since Naoto is a very complex character, I changed it to Souji x Yukiko. This chapter will introduce three other enemies that Souji and Minato should fight. These four original characters are my own design. I'll list them under here:

Homura

Gender: Male

Hair color: Red

Eyes color: Yellow

Power: Fire

Weapon: Multi-weapons

Sui

Gender: Female

Hair color: Turquoise

Eyes color: Yellow

Power: Ice and water

Weapon: Ice projectiles

Raiga

Gender: Male

Hair color: White

Eyes color: Yellow (right), Blue (left)

Power: Lightning

Weapon: None (kenpo fighting style)

Kazematsuri

Gender: Female

Hair color: Pink

Eyes color: Yellow

Power: Wind

Weapon: Daggers

That's all. Please review.

Albireo Imma


	5. Me and My Home

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 5: Me and My Home

The group that consisted of five people was waiting for the trains that go to their respective destination. Souji and Teddie would go to Inaba whereas Minato and Aigis were waiting for the train that goes to Port Island.

"Are you sure that I've to follow them?" asked Ryoji. Minato asked him to follow Souji and Teddie to Inaba.

"Yes... and what would other people expect if they see you at Port Island? For them, you're still their enemy..." said Minato, without looking at his friend's face. "Moreover, you might become a good friend for Teddie-kun, right?"

"Yay!! Ryoji will follow us!!" exclaimed Teddie happily. Aigis smiled.

"Minato-san, the train has already arrived... should we go now?" asked the female android. She lifted her luggage as Minato lifted his.

"Alright... Seta-san, see you two days from now..." the bluenette turned towards Souji.

"Be careful..." reminded Aigis towards her junior. The silverette nodded.

~darkness~

After a long trip, finally Minato got a good view of Port Island. He could see the Moonlight Bridge from the train. That was the place where he lost his parents, the battle with Shadows and the encounter between Aigis and Ryoji.

"We'll arrive soon, Minato-san..." said Aigis.

Finally, they arrived at Port Island station. Because Minato hadn't any place to live, he signed in at Shirakawa Boulevard. Thinking of the hotel reminded him of Yukari. Yes, Yukari... wait?

"Yukari?"

"What's the matter, Minato-san?" asked Aigis, concerned. She heard that the bluenette had muttered something that she couldn't hear.

"Nothing... so, where we should go first?"

"Cosplay Cafe..." said the gynoid. Minato gave her a questioned look.

"We will find your friends there... or precisely, our friends..."

They walked towards a building that Minato had never known. A coffee house with the waitresses dressed in Europe maid costumes. He was bewildered a second before he saw a familiar person came out from the cafe.

"Chidori?" said Minato, surprised. Aigis walked nearer to the red-haired woman and the woman who was dressed in maid costume gave her a nod.

"Welcome to our cafe, Aigis-san... how can I help you?"

"Is he inside?" asked her. Chidori nodded again before she saw Minato. She seemed to be surprised a little before she walked nearer to the bluenette man.

"And I thought that I remember you..."

Before Minato could introduce himself, Aigis cut off, "Well, it's complicated to be said... so, we need to see him, now..."

"Okay... follow me..." ordered the red-haired woman. They entered the cafe and went into a room. They found a man, with a baseball cap on his head. He was talking with two people. The first one was a white-haired man and the other one was a brunette boy. They saw Aigis entered the room.

"'Sup, Ai-chan! Fancy meeting you here?" said the man with goatee.

"I take a break... and you should see this..." as she said it, she pulled Minato's arm, forcing him entered the room as well. The trio gasped.

"You're... you're... I'm not dreaming, am I?" said the man, could not believe what he had seen. He pinched his cheek a little, checking whether he was dreaming or not.

"Of course not, Junpei... I'm Minato, remember?"

"Are you really Minato-san?" asked the brunette boy in Gekkoukan High School's uniform.

Minato looked at the boy and said, "Of course I am, Ken... see, I still have my legs, the proof that I'm not a ghost..." Aigis chuckled when Minato said that to Ken.

The other man with white hair looked at the bluenette, bewildered, before he gained his composure. "Can you prove it?" asked the white-haired man.

"Of course I can, Akihiko-senpai... you're Sanada Akihiko, my senior at high school, one of the founders of SEES and a boxing star of the school..." and then he looked at Ken. "And you're Amada Ken... lived with us in dormitory and you're the youngest member of SEES..." after that, he gestured into Junpei. "And your name is Iori Junpei... well, at least I can say that you're the most annoying member of SEES and you're my best friend..."

"Hey! I resent that!!" bellowed Junpei before he stood up and hugged Minato. "Anyway, good to see you again, comrade..." then he sobbed.

"Hey, stop crying, will you?" said Akihiko towards the crying Junpei. "But, good to see you too... I know that you will back..."

"Yeah, me too... welcome back, Minato-san..." the young brunette spoke.

Being surrounded by his friends, for the first time, Minato felt very happy since the day he returned to the world. He breathed in and out, tried to acquaint himself to the surrounding. He was home, he had returned home.

~darkness~

All of them talked about what they had gone through along the years. Minato congratulated to Junpei as he knew that the man had recently married with Chidori. Then, Junpei talked about his profession.

"Ya know... I'm a baseball player now... you wanna watch me at Koshien? I'll give you a free ticket if you like..."

Minato just smiled as he looked at his old best friend. Then, he looked at his senpai, known as Sanada Akihiko.

"How 'bout you, senpai? How's you doing all these years?" asked the bluenette.

"Well... I gave up boxing since I entered university... soon after I graduated, I became a police officer. Luckily, I'm still practicing at gym... so if you expect that I'm getting sloppy all these years, you're wrong..." said Akihiko, clenched his fist confidently.

"How about you, Ken? How about your school life?" he turned to the youngest one of the group.

"Same like what you could expect from a normal teenage life, except without parents around of course... everything is fine I guess..." answered Ken. It seemed that his maturity was still same like before.

Minato looked around. They had their talk at the lounge since the shop was already closed. He looked at several waitresses who walked to and fro, cleaning and fixing stuff.

"This Cosplay Cafe was Chidori's idea... she combined fashion and cafe into one place. Today, the theme is maid costume... how 'bout that, sounded cool, huh?" said Junpei, talking about the cafe that was managed by him and his wife.

"Minato-san, I think you should go back now... it seems that you're tired. You should have some rest..." said Aigis, worried about the man's condition.

"Alright... okay, good night, everyone..."

Both Minato and Aigis stood up and walked towards the door. As Minato opened the door, suddenly, a brunette woman came in and bumped with the bluenette. Both of them fell onto floor.

"Yukari-chan!! Are you alright?" another worried female voice could be heard.

"Yeah, Fuuka... I think this black thing has cushioned me from being hurt..." said the brunette, not knowing the presence of the man under her.

Then, a sigh could be heard, which happened to be owned by a red-haired woman. And they could hear a sound of a barking dog outside.

"S... sorry... could... you... please... get... up?" then, she heard a voice under her. She looked down and almost screamed as she realized there was a blue haired man under her.

"Sorry!! Sorry!!" the woman hurriedly stood and bowed apologetically for many times. When she looked at the man's face, she gasped. Minato had already expected it.

"Good evening, Yukari... good to see you here..." said Minato, finally stood on his feet. He dusted his black trench coat.

Yukari was trembled to see the man in front of her. The green-haired woman and the other one with red hair behind her also gasped to see the bluenette. "You're... you're..."

"Minato... the man who returns..." said Minato, coolly.

Then, Yukari launched herself forward and started punching every inch of the bluenette that she could reach.

"Ow!! Yukari, stop!! That hurt! Stop!! Ouch!!"

All people there were laughing as they looked at the drama in front of them.

"Yukari-chan, that's enough already..." Fuuka tried to coax the brunette girl from hitting the navy-haired man any further.

"Yeah, stop hitting me, will you?" Minato pleaded for the brunette to stop hitting him. As Yukari seemed satisfied, she wrapped her arms around Minato's neck; same like Aigis did when they're at London a week ago.

"Don't you have any idea how worried I am? And finally return after all these years? You're such an idiot! Baka!!" said Yukari with her trembled voice. She tried to suppress her sobs as hard as she could.

Minato smiled after he let out a soft sigh. He stroked the brown hair tenderly. "Sorry... but now, I'm back... so, don't worry..." he spoke softly into Yukari's ear. "And... how did you girls know that I was here?" he looked towards the newcomers.

All the guys but Minato gestured towards Chidori, who seemed to be stepped aback as the guys pointed their finger towards Junpei's wife accusingly. After a long pause, she finally confessed. "Actually, I'm the one who called all of them. S... sorry, Minato-san..."

"That's alright..." then he looked at his old friends. "How about we talk tomorrow? I'm sleepy..."

"Arf!!"

"Koromaru-san said that he's agreed with Minato-san..."

~darkness~

The day after that, all SEES members gathered at Chidori's Cosplay Cafe. All their eyes were focused at the navy-haired returnee. Chidori seemed busy about her shop's stuff. The red haired woman in the group finally talked after being silenced for some moment on behalf of the rest of the group. "Well... good to see you back, Arisato..."

The bluenette nodded.

"Minato-kun... can we know about how you're still alive?" asked the woman with green hair, Fuuka. Minato had expected that question. He sighed. If he could, he don't want to spoil his return with the information that he would tell to the group.

"Well... it's a very long story..." the navy-haired man started.

"Just make them short but can make us understand what actually happened... I couldn't help to expect the worst from your return..." interjected Akihiko who was sitting beside Ken.

Minato explained about the reason of his return. He could see Yukari began to sulk when he continued to tell about Persona and Shadows.

"So... you returned to this world to protect a multiple Personas-user who was named Seta Souji, right? What's with him?" asked Akihiko, being the first person to give the question among the awestruck people of the group.

"Don't expect that we're the only people who had the journey... he and his friends also involved in an attempt to stop the world from being destroyed..."

All of them were silenced for a long time. Then, Junpei asked. "So, what's your plan?"

"Tomorrow, I'll go to Inaba..." the bluenette replied.

All SEES members were looking down as Minato voiced his decision.

"I know what all of you are thinking... and I don't even force you to involve into this... if any of you don't want to join, that's okay and if you want to join me, I don't mind..." said Minato, clearly.

"Like I said before, I'll follow you this time!!" said Aigis, confident.

"Count me in..." the white-haired police officer spoke.

"I'll go!" then Junpei made a declaration to join Minato.

"There's no way we can let you go alone this time... I'm in..." the youngest member declared.

"Arf!! Arf!!" the white canine barked and the android translated it. "Koromaru-san wanted to follow Minato-san as well..."

Fuuka was thinking for a few moments before she stood up. "Although I don't feel that I can help you much, I'll follow you too!!" she seemed to have made the decision firmly.

"Well then, we're SEES, right? So, I'll help you too..." although Mitsuru spoke with her usual calm tone, her face seemed determined.

As there was only one member of the team remained silent, Minato spoke to her. "It's alright, Yukari... you don't have to follow if you don't want to... just do the thing that you feel is right..."

Yukari raised her face and looked at Minato's face. She wanted to say something but she couldn't do it. So, she breathed in and out before she voiced, "I'm in..." and gained a surprised look from Minato.

"Well... what make you..."

Before Minato could say it any further, Yukari cut off. "You said that I should do thing that I feel is right, isn't it? And for that, I'll ask you just one simple question..."

"What is that?" Minato asked.

"Will you do that reckless action like sacrificing yourself to save other people like you did seven years ago?" Yukari gave him the 'simple' question.

Minato seemed to be thinking for some moment before finally replied. "I can't assure that... I return to this world to protect it and it might cost my life again if it should..."

Yukari smiled as she felt satistied by the man's answer. "So, I'll be there to prevent you from do so... if you die, we'll die together..."

'Yukari-chan... I think that might be too much..." the green haired woman voiced.

"Yeah, I know that Minato will never do it again..." interjected Junpei.

"Is that really what you mean, Yukari?" asked Minato, grinning. Yukari blushed.

"Well... that's not what I really mean actually... but... if you try to do that thing again, we will prevent you from doing it, you hear that?!"

"Yes I hear you..." said Minato, before he stood up. "So, it has been decided... so, do you all still keep your Evokers?"

"Yeah..." replied Akihiko. "And I keep Shinji's too..."

"Me either..." Ken voiced.

"Duh... I kept it in my room... how should I just throw that thing away?" the baseball player said.

"Mine is kept in my house... I hid it inside my drawer because my parents almost freaked out as they saw it..." the green haired woman spoke.

"Mine is still under my possession as well... I think I could create another one for Koromaru..." said Mitsuru, casually.

Minato looked at Yukari. She kind of expecting the man's gaze as she nodded, signifying that she's still had her Evoker.

As Minato turned his head towards Aigis, it seemed that the blonde android was looking down.

"Sorry, Minato-san... I don't know where are your Evoker now... I'm sorry..." said Aigis, apologetically.

"That's alright... furthermore; I've a new one..." Minato took out a metallic black coloured gun-like device from her jacket. It was diffirent from the previous one as it was black in colour. There was also no SEES emblazoned on it.

"I created it when I arrived to this world... its body is an actual part of a real gun... Ryoji helped me to make this..."

"Ryoji?" exclaimed Mitsuru, shocked.

"Do you mean, Ryoji-kun?" asked Fuuka.

"That freak that we fought at the top of Tartarus?" the white haired senpai spoke.

"He's the one who helped me to return... he's not our enemy anymore, he's our comrade..." Minato explained. All SEES members nodded.

"So, where's he now?" asked Junpei.

"He's going ahead to Inaba... to protect Seta Souji and his friends from the new threats that might come..."

~darkness~

After gave his friends a goodbye bid, Minato walked to the hotel, which happened to be Shirakawa Boulevard. Then, he realized that someone's following him.

"Don't be such a poor stalker..." he said with his usual deep tone. "I know you're there... Yukari..."

Then, a brunette dressed in pink came out from behind the stairs of the station sheepishly. Her face was reddened as well.

'How'd you know I'm here?" asked Yukari.

"It's obvious, isn't it? I can smell you from such a short distance..." answered Minato nonchalantly.

"Oh, no wonder you can... wait?! You SMELL me!!? How could you...!!!"

Embarrassed to death, Yukari walked towards the bluenette and stepped onto his feet with her high-heeled shoe. Minato winced slightly.

"Sorry... but really, I can smell you. Ryoji taught me that..." said Minato, tried to calm the distraught woman in front of him with his unusual silly smile that he learned from Ryoji.

Yukari pouted cutely after she recovered from her disconcerted condition. "I'm afraid you'll become a perv just like him too..." she said with a mock seriousness.

Then, she looked towards other direction.

"So, what make you followed me?" asked Minato.

Yukari took a deep breath before she answered him. "You don't plan to be reckless again, do you?"

Minato just looked at the brunette with silence.

"You don't plan to leave me just like you did years ago, right?" asked the brunette again with her trembled voice.

"Like I said before, I can't assure that... I return to this world to protect a man who shared a same fate just like me. I can't promise to remain here even if anything has been settled... I may return to the place that I belong to... as a Seal..." answered the bluenette with a sorrowful voice.

"Why? Why do you want to do this? Holding the burden on your shoulders all by yourself? I never understand you just like that!!" said Yukari furiously. Then, she realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry..." she apologized.

"That's alright... even with such a short time, I'll be here for all of you..." said Minato, tried to cheer Yukari with his soft voice. Yukari smiled.

"Alright, I should get back now... be careful on your way home..." then Minato decided to return to his room and he walked away.

"And... before I forget this... I like that smell of yours. It smells good..." said Minato again, with a Ryoji's grin plastered on his face.

"Minato-kun!!"

~darkness~

Woah!! Another chapter updated again!! And thanks for those who posted their reviews to me, like fox-white-moon, Iwanishi Nana, WindPurpleDragon, KingsJester, Yoly, Resha04 and yarra!! Thank you so much!! For this chapter will show about Minato that returned to the fateful place where so many things had happened. Expect something when he met his old buddies...

Okay, that's all. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	6. My Fool

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 6: My Fool

Souji looked at the television in his room. He had arrived a day before and he's at his uncle's house. He touched the screen and he felt that his hand was sucked by the electronic device. He pulled it before he could be sucked in any further.

He sighed. He should wait until Minato and his company arrived. He looked at the couch in his room and saw Ryoji, sleeping on the couch.

Souji could feel something from the black haired man. If he looked closely, his face resembled Minato's; only with different eyes color and paler complexion. Souji knew that the man was a Shadow, same like Teddie. He could sense something ferocious, nightmarish and terrifying that were hidden behind the cheerful and benevolent appearence of Mochizuki Ryoji.

Souji sighed. He should try to believe in this man. As he turned back, he heard a voice behind him. "Can't sleep with a monster in your room?"

Souji turned and saw Ryoji sat on the couch. The man with black hair grinned.

"That's okay... I'm getting used of it..." said Ryoji. He stood up.

He looked at the window. It was raining outside.

"I'm the one who offered Minato the power of wild cards... not in this form of course..." he told Souji about his first meeting with Minato with his identity as Pharos.

"I see... Minato told me about he got his power unnaturally when we're in Velvet Room..." the silverette spoke. "That's mean that you're the one who gave him the power..."

"Yes, I am..." said Ryoji with his rare solemn tone. "I am embodiment of Death... resided within him for almost ten years... his true Arcana is Death, and Death offered him the unique ability, the wild cards... which mean, he's became a Fool..."

Souji just nodded as he listened what Ryoji had told him. Then, Ryoji sat back on the couch and laid himself back.

"Okay, enough with some serious matters... good night..."

Soon after that, Ryoji slept on the couch. Souji yawned and laid himself on his bed. He tried to remember the things that had occurred during the day when he arrived at Inaba.

~darkness~

Several hours before that, when they finally arrived at Inaba Station...

"So... this is Inaba?" asked Ryoji as they came out from the station.

"Yup!" replied Teddie.

As they walked out from the station, Souji saw a group of people he knew. As the group of people saw Souji, they rushed to the silverette.

"Welcome back, big bro!!" greeted the youngest among the group, who was happened to be Nanako. Souji smiled and patted the girl's head.

"Yo, partner!!" said the other person, who was Souji's best friend in Inaba, Yosuke.

"You've grown, Souji..." then, an older man spoke. He was Nanako's father and Souji's uncle, Dojima Ryoutaro. He's still same as Souji could remember.

"'Sup, senpai..." then a male delinquent-like male emerged among the group and greeted the silverette.

Souji looked around and saw someone he missed to see. The person smiled as she spoke. "Welcome back, Souji-kun..."

Souji missed the piercing eyes of the black haired woman so much. He silently mouthed the words "I'm home, Yukiko..."

Then, he saw other females came nearer. They were Chie and Rise.

"Hi, Souji-kun!!"

"Good to see you, senpai!"

After that, the silverette saw the shorter one among the women at the back of the group. The detective gave his senpai a nod before she spoke "Welcome back, Souji-san..."

Soon after that, they saw a stranger behind Souji. Then, they gave their questioned look towards the silverette.

"He's my friend at London... he's Ryoji-san..." said Souji.

"Hello... my name is Mochizuki Ryoji, nice to meet you..." the black haired man with yellow scarf introduced himself towards the group.

Then, they looked at Teddie. Yukiko with her concerned look, approaching the blonde young man. "Are you alright, Teddie?"

"I've heard everything from senpai and I've told everybody about you... so, are you alright?" Naoto spoke towards Teddie.

"Yeah, I'm fine... moreover, I've a cool-looking scar on my chest... wanna see it?" asked Teddie with his cheerful tone.

"Hell no!!" Yosuke bellowed.

All of them laughed.

"So, Souji, let me bring you to my house... you'll have your kids meeting after we fix everything, okay?" said the middle-aged man. "And you, Ryoji-kun, you should live with us too... and Nanako kinda like you too..." said him again as Nanako hid behind his father when she looked at the newcomer.

"Okay!" mouthed Ryoji.

~darkness~

After fixing all stuff, the group plus Ryoji gathered at Junes' food court. All of them but Ryoji were fixing their eyes at the silverette. After being silent for some moment, finally he spoke "It's good to see you guys back... but I presume that all of you have known what had happened, right?"

"Yeah..." said Kanji. "We've heard it from Naoto... some maniacal freak wanna kill you, that's it? And about Teddie's being shown off to London, is that true?"

"Of course!! Why should I be there if it's not true?!" said Teddie.

"Okay... enough about that... so, Naoto?" Souji turned his head towards the sleuth. Naoto just shook her head.

"Although we may say that Kojiki is only an ancient literature manuscript, it may be the clue for us to search the culprit... but, I can't see anything that you had asked, sorry..."

Naoto looked at the silverette guiltily.

"That's alright... and did anyone have gone into TV world?" asked Souji.

"Yosuke did, almost... he want to search for Teddie... his head was inside TV when I came to him and shouted 'Yosuke, stop doing it this instant!!" the kung-fu loving woman spoke.

"Chie... don't make it so detailed..." groaned Yosuke.

"So, senpai, what's the plan?" asked Kanji, impatiently.

"Like I've told Naoto before, I found another Persona-user at London... he's the one who managed to save me during that time... he will come here days later..."

Souji explained everything about Minato and what he had gone through at London. All of them but Teddie and Ryoji were awestruck.

"Oh... and how 'bout you, Ryoji-san? Are you Persona-user as well?" asked Rise, being the first one who managed to recover from being awestruck.

"Nope..."

All of them gave their quizzical look at the black haired man.

"Actually... I am a same type like Teddie, minus the Persona-summoning ability... I am a Shadow..."

All members were surprised by hearing the shocking revelation... okay, except Teddie and Souji.

"So... how can you be so... human? I mean, our Shadows look human, but you seem... too human to be a Shadow..." the woman with red sweater was being the first one who asked the question after being shocked by the information.

The black haired man smiled towards Yukiko as he seemed grateful for being called as human instead of shadow or monster. "Actually... this is only my human form... if you see my Shadow form, you might change your mind for calling me as human... but, thank you for calling me human, I appreciate it..." he gave the woman a grateful smile.

Yukiko looked down, tried to hide her blushed face as she was being praised by Ryoji. Souji looked towards other direction, not allowing any jealously for being formed within him. Ryoji realized it and he patted the silverette's shoulder.

"Don't worry... I know she's yours..." said Ryoji, quietly.

"I know... thanks..." the silverette replied as silently as possible so others couldn't hear them.

"So, we should wait for this Minato person and his gang, right?" asked Chie, tried to make anything clear.

"Yes..."

~darkness~

A day had elapsed since he arrived to the rural town. He stood at the riverbank of Samegawa Floodplain. Then, he heard some footsteps. The silverette turned back and saw Yukiko in her pink kimono.

"I know you're here... since you come here, why don't you see me?" the young woman gave her boyfriend a sudden question.

"S... sorry... I've to have some time... alone..." mouthed the silverette, looking back to the river.

Yukiko sighed. She asked again with her concerned voice "Did something happen?"

Souji didn't want to answer the question instantly. He turned his head and his silver eyes pierced Yukiko's dark orbs. He breathed in and out for a moment before he spoke "The enemy is dangerous for us now... I don't even think that we can fight it with the methods we had used years ago..."

Yukiko stared onto the silver eyes of Souji for a moment before she shut her eyes. 'I don't think that's the thing that bothered you... you hid something from me, isn't it, Souji-kun?"

Souji sighed. He could hide anything from his friend about what he was thinking but in this case, Yukiko seemed to know what had bothered Souji's mind.

"I... I don't think for talking about it right now..."

"I see... if you were to change your mind, go talk to me... take care..." then Yukiko walked away, leaving Souji alone.

Souji sighed again. The thing that had bothered him was about Ryoji. He knew about Ryoji's flirtatious nature, but when he saw Ryoji and Yukiko were talking about something, he felt something that he shouldn't feel. Yet as a man, he should. He tried to forget it all since Ryoji said that he knew that he shouldn't make Yukiko being fallen in love with him.

"Yukiko..." he muttered again before he heard a high-pitched voice behind him.

"Souji... what are you doing here?"

Souji looked the source of the voice and found Ryoji with his usual yellow scarf wrapping his neck. He wore his white shirt and black trousers.

"I know what you are thinking, Souji..." the man with black hair started.

"Sorry for thinking you... you know..." the silverette spoke.

Ryoji smiled and he walked towards Souji and stood beside him. He looked at the river.

"That's alright... I'm getting used of it too... and being jealous is normal for a normal man like you... even Minato got jealous sometimes..." Ryoji said with his smile on his face.

Souji nodded. He knew that jealously was normal for him, but still...

"But... do you think someone like me have his right to be loved?" asked Ryoji before he left. Before Souji could react to it, Ryoji was already vanished.

~darkness~

The time was already evening. Aigis had phoned him that they would arrive tomorrow in the morning. Souji was standing in front of Amagi Inn. He asked one of the waitresses to call Yukiko. He should meet Yukiko, now. Minutes later, Yukiko came out from the inn.

"What makes you come here?" asked Yukiko, seemed slightly confused by Souji's sudden arrival.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but do you have some times? We need to talk..."

Yukiko looked at the silverette calm face. Then she smiled.

"I know what're you thinking, Souji-kun... about me and Ryoji-kun, isn't it?" she said, smiling to him.

"Well... actually, yeah... sorry..."

"What's that sorry for?" asked Yukiko, frowning.

"For allowing this thought for being formed inside my head of course..." the silverette said, looking down.

Suddenly, Yukiko laughed. Souji was surprised to hear that. It was his first time to actually hear it again after all these years. It seemed that Yukiko's sense of humor was still same as always.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!! Uhh... sorry... well, apology accepted..." after her laughs faded, she gave Souji a dazzling smile.

"For me... I love you because you're the one who changed my life... so, there's no reason for me to fall in love with Ryoji, right? He even said to me that he has someone he cares a lot..." said Yukiko before she hugged Souji.

"Yeah... I should know that.. I'm such a fool..."

"You're a fool, my fool..." stated Yukiko mischievously.

As Yukiko released her hug, Souji turned back. Then Yukiko spoke "No present for a fool to his princess?"

Souji looked at Yukiko as he sighed. He stood in front of Yukiko before he whispered "Here, a present for you, your highness..."

As Yukiko heard the whisper, he felt his lips touched Souji's. Her eyes widened as Souji raised his head back. "It's rare, don't ever think to forget it..." he said before he walked away, leaving his so-called 'princess' in her petrified state.

~darkness~

The day had come. Souji, Ryoji and other people of the group were waiting for Minato's arrival. Souji took his time glancing at the Amagi's heiress who turned red as Souji looked at her. After some minutes later, they saw someone with blue hair emerged from the station with other people with him.

"Minato!!" Ryoji called out and flailed his arms, trying to get the bluenette's attention.

Minato saw Ryoji and Souji. He with his travel companions walked nearer them.

"How are you, Seta-san?" the bluenette asked.

"I'm fine. Anyway, welcome to Inaba..."

~darkness~

Phew, finally I managed to update this story after countless attempts to connect my computer to internet. About this chapter I hope nobody get a wrong idea about Ryoji and Yukiko. It's just a side ingredient for my story. Anyway, when I thought about Yukiko and Fuuka's awful cooking skill, I suddenly laughed. I might include it in the next chapter. So, that's all...

Albireo Imma


	7. Breaking The Ice

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 7: Breaking The Ice

Both SEES and Investigation Squad gathered at Amagi Inn. All of them took their time to observe each other before Mitsuru finally spoke "Are you Persona-user as well?"

All members of Investigation Squad nodded as they heard the question.

"Wait, are you Kirijo-san? The owner of that super rich Kirijo Corporation?" Yosuke said as he realised who Mitsuru was. "I've seen you before. You're all over the TV for that monstrous project of that Destiny Sea, right?"

"Yes, I'm Kirijo Mitsuru... one of the founders of SEES... nice to meet you all..." the red haired chairwoman introduced herself. Then he gestured to Minato. "I see that you've heard him before. He's Arisato Minato, SEES battle leader..."

"Please be good to me..." mouthed the blue-haired man.

"He's so Naoto-like..." muttered Kanji.

"Oh yeah, I though I'm the only one who saw that..." said Yosuke.

Then the white haired police officer spoke "I'm Sanada Akihiko... like Mitsuru, I'm one of the founders of SEES..."

"Ah, I've heard about you sometimes ago... you're the man that Dojima-san had told me..." Chie said. Akihiko raised his silvery eyebrow as he heard the name. "You know Dojima-san?"

"He's my uncle..." said the silverette in the group.

"I see... he's a good man... I've met him sometimes at Tokyo..."

Mitsuru coughed a little, trying to draw the people's attention.

"Initially, there were three founders of SEES... me, Akihiko and..." she looked at Akihiko and Ken. The white haired man just closed his eyes and Ken just nodded "our friend... he died in a certain incident... his name is Shinjiro..."

All members of SEES seemed to feel sad as the man's name was mentioned.

Then, a female brunette introduced herself "My name is Takeba Yukari... you see, I'm one of SEES members... please be nice to me..." she said before she bowed.

One certain brunette man from Investigation Squad rubbed his chin before he said "I've seen you before... in a magazine I guess... but what?"

"I know you... you're Takeba Yukari, archery's prodigy... I've seen you in Sport Magazine before... you're certainly famous nowadays, just like Rise-chan..." said Yukiko.

Yosuke looked at Yukiko with his amazed face "I never know that you like to read sport magazines, Yukiko-san..." and the woman in question just shot him a venomous glare, enough to make the man startled and looked down. Souji and Chie chuckled by seeing it.

"I'm not famous like Yukari-chan... but I'm Yamagishi Fuuka. I'm a nurse at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital... pleased to meet you all..." the green haired woman introduced herself and then bowed politely.

"I don't know what this feeling is, but I think there's something bad will happen..." Yosuke whispered to Kanji so there's no one could hear them. But they couldn't hide their silent voice from the sensitive ears of Minato and Ryoji.

"Just pray for your own safety..." said Minato out of the blue as Ryoji chuckled.

Then a certain man with baseball cap introduced himself " I'm Iori Junpei, nice to meet ya all!! Like them, I'm also one of SEES members and... hi! See what a good guy I am?" Minato smiled as he looked at his best friend's unchanged enthusiasm, like he did when they met with each other for a first time.

"You never change Junpei..." sighed the brunette haired woman as she put her hand on her forehead.

"And for me, I'm Amada Ken... I'm the youngest member of SEES. I'm a high-schooler... so, I will try to not stand in others' way... good to see you all..." the young brunette boy introduced himself, with the maturity that he honed since he was little.

Then Mitsuru petted the white canine's head that was sitting beside her since their arrival. "This is Koromaru... he's also a Persona-user and SEES member... be good to him, okay?"

"Arf!! Arf!!"

"Koromaru-san said 'good to see you guys!!'" translated Aigis.

All members of Investigation Squad looked at the female blonde as they heard that she had translated the dog's talk. Aigis that found her being looked like that finally introduced herself "And... my name is Aigis... I was previously Anti-Shadow Emergency Control Weapon... and for your information, I'm a robot, or specifically a gynoid... I'm also the member of SEES... I'm Souji-san's senior at UCL... so, I'm delighted to see you all, Souji-san's friends..." she said as she gave a very sweet smile.

"Whoa... a real-life robot... and she's too cute..." muttered Yosuke, quietly.

"I agree with you, Yosuke..." nodded Teddie.

Knowing that all SEES members had introduced themselves, the time for Investigation Squad's members to talk about them had came. First, the silverette spoke "You might have heard about me from Minato-san... I'm Seta Souji... student of psychology in UCL, and I'm the leader and the founder of our team... so, nice to meet you..."

"His way of talking reminds me about someone..." whispered Junpei at his white haired Senpai. Minato just ignored it as he knew that they were implying about him.

Then a brunette man with earphones on his neck spoke "My name's Hanamura Yosuke... like Souji, I'm also the founder of our team... and do you ever heard about Junes?" as he said about that, a female brunette in green sweater shrieked.

"Don't ever try to promote your place in the middle of a serious conversation!!!"

All people looked at Chie and she turned pink as she realized what she had done.

"Sorry about that... I'm Satonaka Chie. Like Yosuke and Souji-kun, I'm the founder of our team... so, nice to meet you guys." She introduced herself.

Then a female with hair-banded black hair introduced herself like her fellow members "My name is Amagi Yukiko... although I'm not really among the founders like them, I'm also the member of the team... so, good to see you all... as you all can see, this is Amagi Inn. Well, it might not very strange for me to say 'welcome to our inn'…" she bowed. As for that, Minato could feel a sudden uneasiness within him, especially in his stomach part.

"I've a sudden feeling that we might be ended up dead, don't you think?" said Minato towards his fellow returnee, who was grinning nervously, as like if he were feeling the same uneasiness as well.

"Minato-san, are you alright? You seemed very nervous... and you too, Ryoji-san..." asked Souji, concerned about Minato and Ryoji.

"It's... nothing... go on."

Then, a blonde guy with some piercing on his ears and a scar on his left eyebrow spoke "'Sup... I'm Tatsumi Kanji... there's nothin' much about me... so, pleased to meet ya all..."

"Aww... Kanji-kun's getting humble already. He didn't talk about his sewing job with them..." teased Rise, making the man turned pink. "Hey, hey!! Don't dare to talk about that to them!!"

"As for me, you might have heard about me before... my name is Kujikawa Rise... please be kind to me..." as she introduced herself, a certain Iori squealed.

"You're Risette!! That super-duper sexy idol that we saw on TV!! Whoa!!"

"I see that you know me, tee hee..."

"It's advisable for you to stop squealing, Iori... you might be ended up being 'executed' by your own beloved wife at Cosplay Cafe..." said Mitsuru with her calm tone, but enough to make Junpei stopped.

"And for me, my name is Teddie... nice to meet all of you, ladies..." said the flamboyantly young bishounen with his enthusiastic tone.

"Ladies? Just for ladies? What the hell are you talking about, Ted?" asked Yosuke, agitated.

Then, they looked at the last person who was closing her eyes before she spoke "Sorry about that... he's always like what you have seen just now. I'm Shirogane Naoto, one of our team's members. Please be patient to me..." she said with her usual deep tone.

"I see... I've heard about you from my seniors... so, you're the one that they had talked about..." commented Akihiko, being the one among the SEES members who knew about Naoto.

After the ice breaking session, Mitsuru spoke "So, Seta-san, do you and your friends summon your Personas with this or other instruments?" she asked as she took out a silvery item which looked like a gun. All Investigation Squad's members but Souji gasped as they saw the thing.

"No. We summon our Personas with a card and crush it. But I've seen Minato-san summoning his Persona with that thing at London..." the silverette spoke.

"Did their summoning technique different from us?" asked Yosuke, curious.

"Let me demonstrate it for you..." the navy-haired man stood up and took out a black gun-like device. They but Souji freaked out as Minato put the gun on his own temple. Before they could stop him, Minato pulled the trigger, and a sound of shattered glass could be heard.

_Thou art I... and I am thou... from the sea of thy soul, I cometh... I am Orpheus, The Master of String..._

The semi-mechanical persona appeared above the bluenette. He was floating above his summoner for a little while before he reached his white lyre and played a very beautiful song.

"Whoa... that's fantastic... I never know that a Persona can play a song before..." commented Rise with her eyes on Orpheus. "And... his face... resembled Minato-san?"

"A persona is like a mirror. Which mean a Persona-user can never escape from his true self..." the bluenette recounted what his opposite had told him when he appeared during the Dark Hour. Then, Orpheus vanished.

"Well then... that's all for today I think... so, what would you like to do?" asked the scarlet-haired woman in the group.

"I'm hungry!!" cried two troublemakers from both SEES and Investigation Squad, who happened to be Iori Junpei and Hanamura Yosuke. Both of them looked each other, as like they were very similar.

_Comrade!!_

And it seemed both of them have thought a same thing. Chie and Yukari just sighed.

"A guy's friendship is very wierd..." said both of them, not knowing that they had talked at the same time. Then, both of them looked at each other, seemed bemused as both of them had done a same thing.

"You're Satonaka-san, right?" asked Yukari, hesitantly. The other brunette nodded.

"Yeah... and you're Takeba-san I guess..." said Chie. Some minutes later, both of them chatted with each other, as they were sharing the same interest. Then, Fuuka approached Yukiko. It had become a mysterious case for why they became so friendly in a very short time.

"I've came here before... this place is fantastic!" commented Fuuka as she had a talk with the Amagi Inn's heiress.

"Well... thanks for that..." replied Yukiko.

And that proved it.

As for Aigis, she huddled with Mitsuru, Naoto and Koromaru as they were talking about serious matters, well... not all since Koromaru can't talk although Aigis can translate him.

For Ryoji and Teddie, they were still being the same as before until they joined in Junpei and Yosuke's group. Ken, Akihiko and Kanji seemed to dragged along forcefully by their idiot comrades into the group, which could be named as 'The Idiot Seven'.

As for a certain idol, she didn't join any group that were formed among SEES and Investigation Squad as she went to somewhere else, not before she's squealing about how cute Minato, Akihiko and Ken were.

As for the leaders of both teams, they both came outside and talked about something else. Their faces seemed serious.

~darkness~

"Did you find anything?" asked Minato towards the silverette. Both of them leaned themselves on a cherry tree. Souji shook his head.

"It seems that I depend on Naoto too much... about who was trying to kill me, we didn't get any slightest clue about it..." said Souji.

"The only way to know it is to go into Midnight Channel... I feel there's a connection between the culprit and TV world. You know about this, don't you? Teddie appeared with that Homura guy from TV, right?" the man with blue hair recounted about what had happened at London and he suggested to enter into TV world.

"I think you might be right, Minato-san... the only way is to enter the TV world..." the silverette agreed.

Then, a black haired man with yellow scarf came out from the inn with his grin plastered on his face. It seemed that he had left 'The Idiot Seven' for a while.

"Do you think we might find the clue with just entering into TV world?" Ryoji gave a sudden question.

"Well... we will never know until we try it, right?" retorted Minato as he gave his opposite a dirty look. "It seemed that you're still a pessimistic guy like seven years ago, Ryoji... why don't you give some hope on this, will you?"

Ryoji's expression turned solemn as Minato said about that.

"And you're getting cocky too, Minato... I don't remember you became this brash before... we're fighting something that we don't even know what..." replied the man with his unusual dull and sorrowful tone.

"Same like when I entered SEES, right? I don't even know that little kid with striped pajamas who sometimes visited me during midnight was the one who responsible for The Fall..." the navy-haired man shot back.

"You have got a nerve, Minato... I also don't remember since when you're getting too noisy than being a quiet little kid who always stuffed his hands into his pockets..."

Both man exchanged their glare as they could be seen almost by naked eyes as a series of electricity sparks. Instinctively, Souji took some steps aback, avoiding him from being included into this feud.

"So, it has been decided, right?" voiced Minato as an icy and eerie smile formed on his face.

"It's your decision, not mine... make sure to not regret it, right?" replied Ryoji before a ghostly smirk curved on his lips.

_Oh man... it's getting worse than Yosuke and Chie... I hope nothing's happened..._

Souji who was became a sole spectator, prayed for the heaven so there's nothing would happen.

"Okay, if you insist..." said Minato as he pulled out his Evoker and a rapier from his black trench coat as Ryoji opened his palm and a silver sword appeared on his hand.

"Please don't die too early or my Lady will punish me afterwards..." said Ryoji as he readied his sword in a stabbing stance as Minato put his Evoker onto his temple and gripped his weapon tightly.

Before Souji could do anything, both weapons clashed, forming a very irritating noise. Before Minato could pull his weapon for another attack as well as pull the trigger of his Evoker to summon his Persona and before Ryoji could lift his heavy sword for a downward swing, a female voice could be heard from inside the inn.

"Lunch's ready!!"

Both combatants lowered their weapon before they looked at each other.

"I think we should forget it for now, Ryoji..." said Minato, put his rapier and Evoker back into his coat.

"Yeah, there's no use for fighting actually. So, Souji, sorry if our cute little bickering might bother you a bit..." said Ryoji casually as the silver blade in his grip vanished.

_A bit? I'm almost freaked out to see both of you fought using those sharp things!!_

"Anyway, let's go!!" said Ryoji. He ran into the inn.

"I don't feel right about this... I think we might be facing trouble afterwards..." said Souji. His face seemed anxious.

"Yeah... I've thought about that too..." replied Minato grimly. Both of them walked into the inn slowly, as there would be an impending doom was fated to them.

~darkness~

They were sitting around the table with plate of curry rice in front of them. Minato and Souji looked at the 'normal'-looking meals in front of them. The girls who were responsible for the making of the food, standing beside as they're waiting for the comments from the males.

"Who... actually... did this?" asked Souji, nervously towards his fellow men.

"I dunno, girls made them..." answered Junpei, readied his spoon to scoop his meal. Souji glanced beside him and saw Minato staring on the food.

"Is it... safe?" asked Minato.

Then, Akihiko, Ken, Yosuke, Teddie, Ryoji and Junpei scooped the food and ate them. There's a sudden pause among them when their spoon stuck in their mouth before the food inside their mouth spurted out almost at the same time.

"What the?!! What the hell is this?!!" bellowed Yosuke angrily. Akihiko wiped the food on his mouth as he said "Curry with chocolate taste? Who actually made this?"

All the guys turned their heads towards the girls that were standing beside as two of them stepped aback.

"Actually... me and Yukiko-chan as well as Chie-chan made them... is something wrong?" asked Fuuka, being the one among the two who took some steps aback.

"It's horrible!! I can't believe that I've to eat them after these years!! Ya know, it's nauseating!!!"yelled Yosuke furiously.

"Did it... really bad?" asked Fuuka, again.

"Yeah!! Really-really-really bad!!"

"B... bad? My cooking skill is still bad?!" muttered the green-haired woman.

Some minutes later...

"Bad... bad... bad... bad... bad... bad..."

Fuuka was sitting at the corner as she repeating the word 'bad' for many times. All people at the place sweat dropped. Tears gathered on her eyes.

"Fuuka-san... Yosuke-kun didn't mean it... I'm so sorry..." Yukiko tried to comfort the now-frustrated woman. "I should realize I shouldn't be at the kitchen... I might end up killing people in this rate..."

Chie shot a very venomous glare to Yosuke because of his big-mouthness.

"Now... go say sorry to her!!" demanded Chie with a high voice. "Or else..." Yosuke gulped as the brunette woman said that.

"Uhh... sorry, Fuuka-san... I mean, your food is really tasty... right, guys?!" said Yosuke apologetically before he turned his head towards his fellow men nervously.

Akihiko was thinking for a moment before he said "Yeah!! It's... great!! I like chocolate..."

"Me either... hahaha..." said Ken as he laughed nervously.

"Urgh... it's nutritious... something that I would expect from a nurse, I think..." commented Junpei as he took another bite of the food.

_Yuck!!_

Then, they found out that Teddie and Ryoji were gone. Some people saw them scurried into the toilets.

As for Kanji, Souji and Minato who didn't eat the food in front of them, all the girls looked at them expectantly. Yosuke gave them a look which could be translated into human language as 'just eat 'em dammit!!'.

"Uuh... I think you should be the first among us to eat it, Kanji..." said Souji towards the man opposite him.

"M... me!!? Why the hell I should..." then he looked at Yosuke who gave them a very frightening look before he continued "... all right... I eat it..."

He scooped the food and ate the food. It was a sudden pause before his face changed. He tried to not spurt the food out as he looked at the fellow victims of the food.

Finally, after several minutes struggling, Kanji managed to swallow the food. As he took a heavy breath, he spoke carefully "It's... good... yeah, good... maybe..." as his inner thought was cursing for the awfulness of the thing he had eaten.

There's two people left who didn't eat the food. Yukiko and Fuuka looked at both of them expectantly.

"Should... we eat them?" asked Souji towards the bluenette.

"Maybe... we should... if not..." replied Minato.

Both of them ate the food at the same time. Same like others, there was a sudden pause before they felt a sudden awfulness on their tongue. They tried to hide their struggling face as they swallowed the food.

"It's eligible... good for your health... urgh..." said Minato before he passed out.

"Minato-san!!!"

And they had to get through into countless ordeals into the toilets afterwards.

~darkness~

Now, I want to update two chapters in the same day because tomorrow I should study for my exam which will start some months later. But don't worry; I'll update this story from time to time if I have my free time. This chapter will be about the meeting between SEES and Investigation Squad. That's all...

Albireo Imma


	8. Into The Other World

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 8: Into The Other World

Two days had already elapsed since that very doomed day. All poor men from both SEES and Investigation Squad had to spend their time resting on the bed for the days. Akihiko had to inform his superior that he had to have a break. Junpei had to not join some baseball competitions for some days. And for Ken, Mitsuru had called the school to inform that Ken had to have a break about a week. As for Kanji, he had to make some excuses to his mother because he couldn't help her sewing in his very awful condition. Poor Yosuke, he had to do some works at Junes. Luckily, some girls like Fuuka and Chie gladly lent him some helps, which made Yosuke thanks them tearfully.

For a certain bluenette, he had to stay at hospital for a day and a certain gynoid became his companion all the time at the ward.

For Souji, he didn't be admitted into hospital, but had to stay on bed in his room for a day. Nanako had to take care for her beloved big bro and sometimes Yukiko came to give Nanako some assistance.

Luckily, they finally recovered from being sick, but it seemed that they're still being traumatized by the horror of Mystery Food X second version. For a precaution, Yukiko and Fuuka plus other girls (since Yukari's the only one who was capable to cook better) shouldn't be allowed to go to the kitchen, even to give some assistance for the sake of the male species' existence.

~darkness~

"Urgh... Mystery Food X is a total nightmare..." muttered Yosuke before he put his head on the table. He and some people from Investigation Squad and SEES gathered at Junes food court.

"I'm sorry..." a certain green-haired woman spoke apologetically.

"Oh... I don't mean that! It's not your fault actually..." said Yosuke as he looked at Fuuka.

Almost all people from both teams were there, except Aigis, Naoto and Minato. Both Aigis and Naoto had to go to hospital to fetch a certain blue-headed guy who finally recovered.

"But I wonder... how can you think to add some chocolate into curry? It's always wrong if it's being thought into common sense..." said Akihiko. Both Fuuka and Yukiko blushed.

"Well... we thought our food might be good if we add something sweet..." said Yukiko slowly before she looked at a certain silverette apologetically. She turned away when Souji gave her a smile.

"There, there... don't be too hard for yourselves..." said Ryoji who had became the spectator of the discussion. "I know how to cook... I may gladly teach you girls some lessons..."

Both women's face brightened.

"Really?!" exclaimed both Fuuka and Yukiko happily.

"Of course, if you girls give me some 'extra' payment of course..." he said with a grin. Without his realization, a certain bluenette came behind him and landed a fist onto the idiot's head.

"Oh... really? What does that 'extra' actually mean?" said the navy-haired man behind Ryoji with a smile on his face. His face seemed normal except for several veins protruded on his temple and forehead.

"Minato-san! How are you?!" greeted Souji towards the newcomer.

"I'm fine... how 'bout you?" asked Minato.

"Fine than ever... thanks for Yukiko's help of course..."

Minato who came with Aigis and Naoto took their seats. He coughed to draw the group's attention towards him.

"For today, we will go into TV world... so we will have to prepare our supplies and weapons... Mitsuru, how about Chewing Souls and some medicines that I asked before?"

Minato turned his head towards his Senpai, Mitsuru. The scarlet-haired woman took out a little bag and handed it to Minato.

"It takes sometimes for me to get those things... Chewing Souls become expensive compared to seven years ago..." said Mitsuru.

"So, did you guys have prepared your weapons?" asked Minato towards all people of the group.

"Yeah... I use gun now. But I gladly use my fists if I like..." said Akihiko as he took out a revolver, which looked like Naoto's.

"Of course I have!!" Junpei took out a heavy sword from his big bag.

"I put my spear inside Junes last night... I afraid some passersby might freak out if they looked me brought that thing..." the youngest member spoke.

"I brought my archery set..." said Yukari as she put a bag containing a bow that could be set up.

Aigis took off her gloves, revealing two white hands with black-tipped fingers. She moved her hand a little and the black parts of her fingers separated, revealing the holes on her finger which could shoot out bullets.

"I have this thing with me..." said Mitsuru as she took out a saber from her bag.

After that, Souji took out a katana from his bag.

"Whoa... an original one katana!!" exclaimed Junpei.

Yosuke put two daggers on the table as he gave another shorter dagger to Koromaru. Aigis told him to give the dog one of his weapons.

"Are you sure you don't wanna use your teeth and claws?!" asked Yosuke to the canine and the dog replied with a bark.

"He said he enjoyed to use a weapon just like you guys..." translated Aigis.

Naoto reloaded her revolver before she showed it to the others. "I'll use this revolver just like before..."

Kanji took out a metallic shield from his bag. "Ya know, I like using this thing..."

Yukiko closed her eyes for some moments before she took out an iron-laced fan as Chie took out a pair of metallic greaves from her bag.

"How 'bout me? I didn't prepare my weapon yet..." said Teddie. Minato patted the human-formed bear's shoulder.

"You should stay behind... your injury doesn't fully healed yet..." said Minato.

"What?! I wanna go too!! I wanna fight!!" Teddie cried out loud.

"Don't worry... you'll stay with Rise-san and Fuuka-san... you should protect them for us, okay?" the navy-haired man spoke with a gentle voice and reassuring smile, which made Teddie's face brightened.

"Really?!" asked Teddie, overjoyed.

"Yeah... I'm counting on you…" replied Minato.

"Woah... he'll make a good animal consultant..." muttered Yosuke.

"Okay... if we're ready, let's go."

~darkness~

"So, this is TV world, right?" said Ryoji when they finally arrived to the world. They were standing on a stage-like place and some televisions were arranged in the middle of the stage.

"Yup! But there's no fog now... so there's no need for glasses now..." answered Teddie who was inside his bear costume now. Almost all SEES members gave the bear a questioned look.

"Teddie-san... why did you wear that thing?" asked Ken.

"Don't mind that... the only thing I never understand about that bear costume is how could he bring that costume around..." said Souji.

Then, Minato looked at Rise and Fuuka expectantly.

"So, do you find anything?" asked the bluenette towards both woman. Two of them had summoned their Personas, which were Kanzeon and Juno respectively.

"I find some presence within this area... but I need some times to locate its actual location..." answered Fuuka after she opened her eyes.

"There..."

Both Fuuka and Rise surprised as Ryoji pointed his finger to a location.

"I can sense a horde of shadows not far away from here..." said Ryoji as he lowered his hand.

"How can you sense them so precisely?" asked Rise, astonished. Both Juno and Kanzeon vanished.

"Being a Shadow who possessed multiple Arcanas give me this advantage... there's 50 of them, ten of them are big ones and the others are just small fries for us... but the weird thing is, they seemed to be controlled by something, or rather someone..." explained Ryoji.

"Wow... you even know their numbers... I guess there's no use for us here..." said Rise.

"There, there... although I can sense them, but we still need your help to detect their weaknesses..."

"Alright, if we're ready, let's move!!" said Minato.

~darkness~

"They're coming..." said Kazematsuri to a cloaked man who sat on a throne. Raiga leaned himself on the wall and Sui stood beside their master. Homura looked at a television-like device in front of them.

Then, the cloaked man looked up to see the device. He saw a group of people from there.

"Good. They're quick than I've expected..." said the man before he chuckled. Then, he lifted himself from the throne.

"Well then, we should get going, right? We should give our guests an appropriate greeting..." a sinister grin could be seen beneath the shade of his cloak. Kazematsuri looked at her master for a moment before she nodded.

"Understood, Tsukuyomi-sama..."

~darkness~

"What the hell?! There's so many of them!!" exclaimed Junpei when the group finally arrived at the place where they could sense the presence of Shadows.

In front of them, there were so many Shadows in various sizes, types and Arcanas. Chie seemed to be backed off.

"I don't think we might win if we had to fight them..." said Chie.

But, Minato and Ryoji seemed to be very calm. Then Ryoji said "There's too many of them... what should you do?"

"Simple..."

Minato walked towards the horde. Then, a Shadow jumped on him and and intended to give a hit. But Minato just withstood the attack with one of his arms. He pushed the monster, made it fell backwards.

"Now... I'll let you see the horror of the Fallens..." muttered Minato eerily as he raised his Evoker. He pulled the trigger and a crushed glass sound could be heard.

"Armageddon!!"

A stream of azure light poured out from Minato's body before a wave of red and white light descended and hit almost all enemies on its path. After the debris and dust faded, almost all enemies were perished.

"Whoa... he's a monster..." muttered Kanji between his breath.

"Come on, this might be okay for us to fight them now!!" said Minato to all of them.

"Let's go..." said Souji, readied his sword before he approached the remaining enemies.

~darkness~

"You're good than I've expected, kid..." said Akihiko to Naoto before he used his revolver to shoot some Shadows. Then, he took out his Evoker from its holster with his left hand and pointed it to his forehead, summoning Caesar. The Persona of Emporer Arcana raised his globe-like object above his head level and casted Maziodyne towards some Shadows around his summoner.

"Well thank you..." replied Naoto before she summoned her Persona, Yamato Takeru and casted a very powerful Megidolaon towards some enemies on her path, perishing them once and for all.

"Yeah!! Time to be a hero again!! Trismegistus, Vorpal Blade!!" as Junpei defeated a lion-shaped Shadow with his heavy sword, he summoned his majestic red Persona of Magician Arcana, Trismegistus. A number of Shadows around him cleaved into pieces as the Persona inflicted a very powerful attack.

"Oh yeah? I'll show you this!!" Yosuke spun his body with two daggers in his hands as he managed to defeat a hand-like Shadow before he summoned his Persona, Susano-O. The Persona, which is a trickster god and a deity of tempest according to Shinto mythology casted a series of swirling wind, which caused some Shadows nearby were shredded like thin papers.

Ken swung his heavy spear to an idol-like Shadow before he summoned Kala Nemi of Justice Arcana and casted Hamaon onto it. The Shadow shrieked in pain as a circle of divine technique appeared under it before it vanished.

"That might do it..." muttered Ken before he spun his spear like an ancient warrior in the past age.

"You're good, Ken..." said Kanji before he turned back his attention towards a samurai-like Shadow and swung his shield to crush the blue card. "Rokuten Maoh, Ziodyne!!" The red Persona who armed with a fire-shaped sword appeared in front of Kanji and casted a ray of electricity. The attack hit the Shadow and turned the monster into nothingness.

"They're awfully energetic, right?" said Mitsuru toYukiko beside her before she summoned Artemisia and casted a series of icebergs, freezing and perishing the poor Shadows in the process.

"That's being a man for you..." replied Yukiko as she crushed her card with a swipe of her fan. Amaterasu, a Persona of Priestess Arcana, which is a goddess of sun in Shinto mythology, appeared above her. The celestial Persona with a sword on her hand spun her body gracefully, casted an Agidyne attack and hit a Magus-type Shadow, killing it in the process.

"Sigh... I just hope that they don't injure themselves..." sighed Yukari as she stringed her bow and fired several arrows towards a snake-like Shadow with unerring accuracy. Then, she reached her Evoker and shot her head with the gun-like device, summoning Isis. The Persona, which is a deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, casted a series of Magarudyne, decimating the other Shadows that tried to escape from her.

Aigis pointed her firearms to some Shadows before she summoned her Persona of Chariot Arcana, Athena.

"Akasha Arts!!"

The surrounding became red for an instance before Athena casted the attack, turning the targeted Shadows into black particles.

"Wow, you're great, Aigis-san!!" said Chie before she kicked her card, summoning Suzuka Gongen. The black-coloured Persona of Chariot Arcana spun her two-edged naginata which looked like light sabers, casting God's Hand, crushing a Shadow which looked like a balance.

"You too, Chie-san..." replied Aigis with a dazzling smile.

Then, a white canine with a dagger in his mouth swiftly attacked a hand-like Shadow before he howled, summoning Cerberus of Strength Arcana. The three-headed dog-like Persona, who is the guard dog of Hades according to its mythology, casted a Mudoon onto the now-injured Shadow, killing it in the process.

"Hey, they're good... but this time, I'll fight too..." said Ryoji who had become the spectator, along with Minato and Souji. The black-haired man stepped into the battlefield and tilted his head a bit casually. Then, the blue-coloured ray appeared on the ground where he stood before he yelled "Thanatos!!"

The blue ray turned into dark blue cocoon which surrounded the man. The cocoon dissipated, revealing a black gigantic humanoid creature with coffin-like cape and silver mask, which resembling a dragon skull. Ryoji, or Thanatos of Death Arcana roared like he did when Minato first summoned him for the first time. He unsheathed his silver sword and swung the massive weapon mercilessly towards a group of Shadows, dismembering their body parts and killing them in the process. Some survived Shadows tried to escape the rampaging demon but Thanatos just walked slowly towards them, as if like Death were playing with them.

"You cannot escape Death, no matter what you are..." said Thanatos with eerie and echoed voice of Harbinger of Death. Then, he looked up before he roared, producing a very ghastly wail. The Shadow engulfed by shadow-like cocoon, perishing all backed off Shadows in an instance.

"Whoa... he's insane... luckily he's on our side..." muttered Kanji as he remembered when their group had fought The Reaper of the same Arcana as Thanatos five years ago.

"Well, we should fight too..." said Souji as he raised his katana above his head level. He struck one Maya-type shadow with a swing before he turned back and inflicted another swing, killing the Shadow in the process. As remaining Shadows tried to escape an exact fate just like their comrades, Souji crushed his card with his hand, summoning Izanagi of Fool Arcana.

"Ziodyne!!"

The god nodded curtly as he spun his naginata before he casted a Ziodyne, turning a Shadow into black particles. Then, the Souji turned his attention towards another Shadows and gave Izanagi an instruction to attack.

"Vorpal Blade!!"

Izanagi spun his weapon around, forming some red trails from the edge of the majestic Amenonuhoko and the Shadows were cleaved by the vicious attack.

"Alright, I'll join too..." Minato decided to join in. He raised his Evoker onto his temple and summoned Orpheus of Fool Arcana. The Persona which is a poet and musician in his past life reached his lyre from his back and played music violently. The violent music ignited a spark of fire which turned into massive Maragidyne, burning the Shadows along the fire path into dust of death.

"Not bad..." commented Souji before he swung his blade, dismembering a Shadow which took form of a pillar.

"You either..." replied Minato as he pulled out his rapier, slashing a Maya-type Shadow and killing it in an instance.

~darkness~

"They're great, aren't they?" a cloaked man asked Kazematsuri who stood beside him. The man, Kazematsuri and three other people of the group just looked at the fight below them.

"Yeah, all of them use their own advantages to kill those Shadows... they're supporting each other..." answered the pink-haired woman with her eyes fixed on the group of Persona-user who were fighting the Shadows.

"Well then, shall we step into the stage?"

~darkness~

"Phew!! How refreshing..." said Junpei before he sat on the floor. He put his heavy sword beside him as Spring of Life took its effect on him.

"Yeah... next thing we should have is a cold juicy orange juice..." said Yosuke, putting his daggers beside him.

"Haha, that's what I'm talking about!!" said Ryoji who had reverted back into his human form.

Yukiko went to Souji and gave him a smile. Then, she saw some wound marks on the silverette's arm.

"Souji-kun, you're injured..." said Yukiko as she touched the man's arm. Souji blushed as the black-haired woman examined his wounds.

"Ah, Yukiko... that's alright... I think Kanji needs more attention than me..." stated Souji before he gestured to Kanji who had some gash on his cheek.

"Yukari-san will attend him... but you should treat your wound too..." said Yukiko as her hands glowed; releasing a warm ray which radiated into his skin and the wounds slowly shrunk and finally vanished.

Souji looked on his newly-healed arm before he smiled at Yukiko "Thanks..."

"You're welcomed..." replied Yukiko.

Souji walked towards the bluenette who was talking to Aigis.

"Minato-san..."

Minato turned his attention to Souji.

"What we should do next?" the silverette asked the navy-haired man a question, requesting for an order.

"I think we should go back to our world..." answered Minato.

"I think that too..." nodded Souji.

"I afraid you can't... children of human..."

All of them shocked and looked at the source of the voice. They found five people and one of them could be recognized by Souji as Homura.

"You..." said Souji, angered by the red-haired man presence.

"You still remember me? That's good... today, you'll die!!" said Homura vehemently.

"My kids... go fetch whoever you like..." ordered a man with cloak. He snapped his fingers and the surrounding darkened. After a few seconds, the surrounding reverted. The Persona-users found the four people around the cloaked man, including Homura had gone. Then, they realised some of their members were gone too.

"Akihiko-san!" Junpei looked around after realising his senpai's absence. Then Fuuka gasped "Ken-kun's gone too!!"

"Mitsuru-senpai either!!" stated Yukari, panicked.

"Yosuke-senpai and Ryoji-san had gone too!!" said Rise, tried to calm himself.

Souji looked at the cloaked man in front of them with a very anguished expression. "What have you done to our friends?!" asked Souji, unable to suppress his anger anymore.

"Be fret not, Seta Souji... my kids will attend them..." said the cloaked man before he pulled his cloak off, revealing the hair with the color of deep gray. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"My name is..."

He opened his eyes, exposing two crimson pupils of his eyes, like the eyes that Izanami possessed.

"Tsukuyomi..."

~darkness~

Like I said before in previous chapter, I'll update two chapters in one day. For this chapter, they will have the fight with Shadows and introduction of the primary boss. Then, I want to ask anybody who know what's Yosuke's Susano-O's skill. That's all; thank you for those who reviewing me.

Albireo Imma


	9. Encounters

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 9: Encounters

"Urgh!!"

Yosuke fell onto the flat floor. As he picked himself up, he realised that he was alone.

"Souji? Chie? Guys? Where are you?!" Yosuke tried to search for his comrades.

"I afraid that you'll not find them here..."

Yosuke turned his head to the woman voice and found a pink-haired woman with blue jumpsuit. The woman tilted her head as she opened her eyes, revealing two yellow eyes.

"Welcome to The Room of Tempest... Hanamura Yosuke, Vessel of Tempest God, Susano-O..."

"What? You know my name?" asked Yosuke.

"Yeah, of course I know you..." Then she gestured to some parts of the room "This room is built to withstand such a highly-velocity wind... so this place won't broken easily..." explained the woman. "Ah... I forget to introduce myself... my name is Kazematsuri, Adjutant of Wind of my master, Tsukuyomi-sama..."

Yosuke gritted his teeth as he took out his daggers from his pockets.

"Oh goody, you're daggers-user too? This might be fate for us for having such a similar power..." said Kazematsuri happily as two black kunais appeared in her hands. "Prepare yourself, or you'll be killed quickly..."

"Alright!! Here goes nothing!!" said Yosuke as he prepared himself to fight.

~darkness~

Akihiko managed to land on his two feet. He looked at his surrounding. It was a white room without any decoration. Then, he found a bespectacled white-haired man dressed in white suit walked towards him.

"You don't like this place?" asked the white-haired man. "That's okay... I don't like it either... I don't even understand my master's taste in decoration..."

As the man walked nearer, suddenly the man tripped by his own feet and his glasses fell onto the floor.

"Oh no!! My glasses!! Where's my glasses?!!" the man tried to search his fallen glasses. Akihiko agitated for some moment before he crouched and picked the glasses. He handed it to the man.

"Oh, thanks..." the man put put the glasses back onto where it should belong.

"You don't seem to be a bad man..." said Akihiko.

"Well, I don't like to be a bad man... that's why my siblings always grumbling about this..." said the man. "Oh, forget to mention my name. I'm Raiga, The Adjutant of Thunder of Tsukuyomi-sama... and welcome to The Room of Thunder, Sanada Akihiko..."

"You know my name?" the white-haired man in black suit frowned.

"Well... yeah. And for this room, it was created so it can withstand such a vicious lightning... so, are you ready?"

Raiga readied his battle stance, which seemed like Kenpo stance. Akihiko smiled and loosened his necktie. Then, he readied himself his boxing stance.

"Yeah right... and you're physical type, aren't you?" asked Akihiko.

"Of course... now, let's do this!!"

~darkness~

Mitsuru wandered around the white room. The room was empty and there's nothing inside it, except herself and a turquoise-haired woman in black frilly dress.

"Kirijo Mitsuru I presume..." said the girl with turquoise hair.

"Yeah. How'd you know my name?" asked Mitsuru, readied her saber for any attack.

"I know your name... it's such an honor for me to fight you... my name's Sui, The Adjutant of Ice of Tsukuyomi-sama. Welcome to The Room of Ice..." as she said that, the temperature of the room dropped and ice began to form on the girl's hand. Then the ice took form of an ice rapier.

"Where's others?" asked Mitsuru. Both of them circled each other.

"They have some appointments with my master, Tsukuyomi-sama... and I've to fight you now, because you seem to be a good challenger for me..." replied Sui.

"I see... so, what're we waiting for?"

~darkness~

Ken just looked at the red-haired man in front of him as he readied his spear to attack.

"Be cool, kid... you're not going anywhere..." said the man before his hand turned into a sharp black blade.

"Who're you?" asked Ken. He looked straight into the red-haired man's yellow eyes.

"Don't be too distress, Amada Ken... I'm Homura, Adjutant of Fire of Tsukuyomi-sama... welcome to The Room of Inferno. I don't like to talk too much, so... ready to die, kid..." said Homura.

"Oh yeah? Well then, I hope you'll regret your decision for choosing me to be killed..." said Ken with a smirk. He reached his Evoker and pointed it to his temple. As he pulled the trigger, he yelled "Persona!!"

~darkness~

"Ah... they've started..." said Tsukuyomi, looking at another direction.

"Where are they?!" asked Souji, gripping his katana tightly. He gritted his teeth and he planned to attack the man in front of him.

"Be patient, Seta Souji... we'll make sure to prepare some pieces of your friends to be looked before you die..." said Tsukuyomi. His crimson orbs were looking straight into Souji's silvery eyes.

"Then I'll kill you!!"

Souji dashed to the man and swung the blade. Tsukuyomi took a step behind nonchalantly before he released a blow to the silverette's stomach.

"Urgh!!"

The blow sent Souji flying backwards. As his body landed on the ground, he rolled on the ground for a few moments before he actually stopped at Minato's feet.

"Seta... you shouldn't make your emotion conquered your mind..." reminded Minato as he helped the silverette to pick himself up.

"Thanks..."

Then, Naoto and Aigis stepped forward and aimed their weapon to the enemy.

"Don't ever think you can win here..." said Naoto, ready to pull the trigger of her revolver.

"I won't allow you to hurt my friends, Tsukuyomi..." said Aigis as she pointed her gunfingers to the man.

"Ah... you're such a unique person... possessing a human heart although you not a human to begin with... I don't know why you can get that thing..." said Tsukuyomi, smirking towards Aigis.

Aigis was taken aback as Tsukuyomi said that. She bit her lips before she replied "There's nothing I can do about it... you are the one who should be ashamed for not having a human heart..." she said confidently and Minato smiled as Aigis said that.

"That's what I'm talking about. Why you have and why I haven't... the world is selfish itself for deciding which one should have it and which one shouldn't have... and probably it's because of human itself... giving a heart for a mere robot..."

"You don't have right to say that!!" bellowed Aigis before she released a dozen of shots towards the man. But it seemed the bullets didn't reach the man as there were an impregnable barrier between the man and her.

"No way..." muttered the android, couldn't believe what she had seen.

"And you should see this too..."

Tsukuyomi ruffled his gray hair before he clutched his head.

"Persona..."

An ethereal figure appeared above the man. Aigis surprised as she saw something that she couldn't believe. Tsukuyomi had summoned a Persona and the Persona was Aigis' Persona, Athena.

"Athena?!"

The Persona with shield and halberd looked at the android before she threw the weapon towards Aigis. The android took a hasty step behind to dodge the attack.

"I'm not finished it yet..."

Tsukuyomi had appeared behind her. He placed his hand on Aigis' shoulder before some electricity sparks appeared, which turned into vicious electricity shock.

"Ahh!!!" Aigis screamed as the electricity began to affect her internal system. Then, she fell onto the ground. Tsukuyomi picked the blonde's limp body by pulling her yellow hair up. Nonchalantly, Tsukuyomi threw the body towards the group and her body slammed on the ground.

'Aigis!!" Yukari went to the android's side. "Aigis... are you alright?"

"Y...Yuka... ri..." said Aigis weakly as some sparks could be seen from her joints.

Suddenly, a certain bluenette and silverette charged towards Tsukuyomi with their weapon in their hand. Souji had charged himself up with Power Charge, making his movement and hit became stronger and faster. Minato casted Masukukaja onto both of them so their agility increased.

"Ah... this is what I like the most..." said Tsukuyomi, grinning.

"You'll pay for hurting Aigis, you monster, Orpheus!!" said Minato before he summoned Orpheus. His anger could be known from his suppressed tone.

"Izanagi!!" Souji hit the card with his sword instead of crushing it with his hand.

Two Personas of Fool Arcana, Orpheus and Izanagi appeared in the same time. Tsukuyomi looked at both Personas before he tilted his head.

"Orpheus and Izanagi... two Personas of Fool Arcana... although I can mimic all type of Personas with my power, but my pride and my power itself don't allow me to recreate such these two Fools..." said Tsukuyomi.

"What? What do you mean by that?" asked Souji.

"Orpheus and Izanagi... willing to descend into hell just to save their beloved ones... but returned to living world empty-handed... there's no way I could understand such a thinking... willing to lose their life just to take someone from their grave but returned back with shame..." said Tsukuyomi.

"Oh yeah? There's no need for you to understand their feeling..." said Souji as he and Minato lowered their weapon. Both Izanagi and Orpheus vanished. "Their history, their problems? It's nothing of my concern at all!!"

"Ah... you're right... there's no need for me to understand their feeling. But, I don't want to be a Fool by mimicking them... and furthermore..."

Tsukuyomi looked at Souji.

"Izanagi is my father..."

~darkness~

"Your movements and skill are terribly crude, but as a human, what a way to go... you managed to withstand my attacks after two minutes..." commented Kazematsuri as she parried Yosuke's attack with her kunai. Some gashes had appeared on Yosuke's face.

"Oh yeah?! Then, try this!!" a card appeared in front of Yosuke and he crushed it with his dagger. The Persona, Susano-O appeared and threw his gear-like blade around him towards the pink-haired woman. Kazematsuri crouched before she swung both her kunais upwards, colliding themselves to the spinning blade.

An explosion occured as Kazematsuri parried the massive shuriken with her weapons. As the dust began to settle, the woman seemed to be not injured. The shuriken returned to its owner, Susano-O before both of them vanished.

"Well, I'll give you a credit for that, Yosuke..." she pointed one of her kunais to the brunette man. Yosuke groaned.

"Urgh... she's insane..." groaned Yosuke before he casted himself Sukukaja. The spell enchanced his speed and reflexes as he managed to move behind the pink-haired woman.

"Brave Blade!!" yelled Yosuke as Susano-O appeared and casted the designated technique.

Kazematsuri who had realized that the brunette man was behind her moved her armed arms behind, parrying the spinning massive shuriken with her weapon. But the impact sent her flying forward and slammed onto wall.

"How's 'bout that?" said Yosuke as he wiped his wounds on his face with the back of his hand. Then, the wound gone.

~darkness~

Both white haired combatants in black and white suits respectively were changing punches and blows to each other. Raiga seemed to fight offensively with his ancient kenpo style whereas Akihiko used his usual defensive boxing stance.

"How long you can do that, Akihiko-kun? I know there's more tricks in your sleeve... don't waste them..." said Raiga before he crouched. His hand emitted a blue glow and Akihiko took some steps back instinctively.

_Zio?!_

That's true, it Zio, or rather Zionga. But instead of using it to strike down the opponent, the electricity gathered in Raiga's fist. He released the electrified punch towards Akihiko. The punch hit the white-haired man's shoulder.

"Urgh!!" he could feel like he was being hit by a heavy hammer on his shoulder. To reduce the impact, he leapt behind. He pushed Raiga's hand aside.

"I see... you use electricity to enhance your attack's strength. Then I should do that too..." said Akihiko. He changed his battle stance from his usual defensive boxing stance into his unusual offensive kickboxing stance which he adapted from Minato when he preferred to use his fists while exploring Tartarus.

"Ah... I know you will do it..." said Raiga, returned back to his kenpo stance.

Both of them staring each other before both black and white combatants dashed forward. Akihiko pulled out his Evoker and summoned Caesar and casted Zionga onto himself. Electricity sparks seemed to appear on the police officer's body. The sound of sparkling electricity could be heard from both combatants and electricity trails could be seen as they raised their fists to give their blow.

As both fists connected to each other, an explosion occurred.

~darkness~

The sound of colliding weapons were breaking the silence of the cold white room. Both swordswomen were exchanging slashes and parries with unfathomable skills of their own.

"You're magic type, aren't you?" asked Sui before she created another ice rapier in her other hand. She used two swords to fight Mitsuru.

Mitsuru grunted as one of the thin ice blades barely touched her skin as she managed to parry the other one. "Artemisia is just a magic-type Persona... she doesn't have any physical ability, just ice spells and some support spells... she seems unreliable for now..." she answered.

"Ah... why don't you use some Charm on me or make me Panicked? You can get your advantage for that..." suggested Sui as she lowered her weapons.

Mitsuru stared at the turquoise-haired girl for some moments before she shook her head.

"Don't expect me to do such a cheap trick... it might be disgraceful for me to use them to you who sought a fight with me..." she closed her eyes as she lowered her saber as well.

Sui looked at Mitsuru with her puzzled look.

"So, how can you fight me with such condition? I did hold back, just in case..." Sui said with her head tilted a little.

Mitsuru smirked as she raised her Evoker to her temple.

"Simple... I summon thee!!"

The Persona of Empress Arcana, Artemisia appeared with a whip in her hands. She nodded at her summoner before she looked at Sui.

"Ice Break!!"

~darkness~

"That's all what you got, kid?" asked Homura. He stuffed his hands into his sport trousers' pockets.

A fierce battle had occurred inside The Room of Inferno as fiery-handed Homura and spear-wielding Ken fought each other. Some burn marks could be seen on the teenager's clothes.

"Crap!! Kala Nemi, Vile Assault!!" yelled Ken as he shot his head with his Evoker and summoned the red-colored mechanical Persona. The Persona appeared above his summoner. Kala Nemi tilted his body before he swung his sharp hand, leaving white trail of his own.

The attack was dodged by Homura before he released four fireballs towards Ken. The brunette teenager evaded the fire attack fluidly.

"Ah... you got skill, kid... very interesting of you..." said Homura as he clapped his hands.

Ken spun his spear for the momentum of his movement before he rested it on his shoulder. He got to think fast. Hamaon didn't manage to take the red-haired one as the demon-banishing technique is blocked by him.

"Oh yeah? Then, try this!! Ziodyne!!"

Kala Nemi appeared and casted the designated spell. The lightning hit the red-haired man directly.

"See? That's why I've told you to not regret for your decision to kill me..." he said as he put his spear on his shoulder.

~darkness~

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Kanji in shock. He was among the people who were surprised by what Tsukuyomi had said.

"I see... Susano-O, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi... both of them are three noble children of Izanagi soon after his escape from Yomi... three of them born when Izanagi washed his face. He begot Amaterasu the Sun Goddess from his left eye, Susano-O the Tempest God from his nose and you, Tsukuyomi of Moon God from his right eye... I've read those from Kojiki..." said Naoto, seemed to understand what had happened.

"Excellent explanation, Shirogane Naoto... what can you deduce from that, detective?" said Tsukuyomi, clapping his hands.

"I had thought that those things are just superstitious-manmade belief... but since Izanami's exist, why don't you too?" replied Naoto.

Souji stared at the moon god's face for some moments.

"What're your intention, Tsukuyomi? Why would you want to kill me?" asked Souji hastily. He tightened his grip of his weapon.

Tsukuyomi just grinned.

"Something that humanity had sought since their birth... and you're a mere obstacle for such a grand dream..." answered Tsukuyomi.

"Then we will fight you!!" declared Minato.

Tsukuyomi looked at the bluenette with a frowned look.

"Well, what we have here... the seal between Nyx and humanity... why did you leave your place to protect Seta Souji and use it as a petty excuse? Let see what's your answer, Arisato Minato..." he gestured to Minato.

Minato just sighed before he answered "You're also a mere nuisance that wanted to make this world destroyed... the world that I had protected with the cost of my life..." the tone of the bluenette seemed a little bit arrogant.

"Well answered... so, both of you have your own reason to fight me, right?"

Tsukuyomi took off his cloak with a pull, revealing a lean body with leather tight suit. He opened his palms and two katanas with white hilt appeared in his hands.

"I'll fight you a little bit seriously..."

~darkness~

Tada!! A new chapter!! My exam's result is extremely saddening because I almost fail my Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Math (and fail my Additional Math). So sad...

But, thanks for those who reviewed my fanfic. And for Iwanishi Nana I presume, thanks for telling me about the mistake I've done. But if you think about it, Yukari's probably shared a same sentiment like the males to not say the mistake that Yukiko and Fuuka had done because she afraid to upset the girls (especially Fuuka) by her comment. And the girls didn't mean all girls. Let us think like this:

Yukiko (the main culprit of Mystery Food X second version)

Fuuka (another main culprit of Mystery Food X second version)

Chie (also the one that responsible in the making of Mystery Food X second version)

Aigis (totally oblivious about the horror of Mystery Food X)

Yukari (aware of the thing that they've made, but have no courage to tell them to stop)

Mitsuru (detect something wrong in the air, but she left it like that)

Naoto (same like Mitsuru)

Rise (tagged along in the making of Mystery Food X second version)

That's all, read and review!!

Albireo Imma


	10. Retreat

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 10: Retreat

Minato and Souji dashed forward to double-sworded Tsukuyomi whereas Junpei, Kanji, Naoto, Chie and Koromaru helped their leaders in the battle. As for Yukari and Yukiko, they took their time to look at Aigis' condition.

"How's she?" asked Yukiko, concerned about the unconscious android.

"She's unconscious, but she'll be fine..." replied Yukari before she looked back at Aigis. She put the blonde android's head on her lap.

Then, a green-haired female ran towards the healers. Her Persona, Juno, vanished as she ran towards them.

"Yukari-chan, is Aigis alright?" asked Fuuka, seemed to be worried about Aigis.

"She's alright... Fuuka, you should assist them..." the brunette woman in pink replied before she gestured at the battle scene.

"But... I'm worried about her... is she really alright?"

Yukari looked straight at Fuuka's face. She totally knew how pure that woman's fear was.

"Fuuka, don't worry about her, okay? We'll take care of her..." said Yukari with a smile. She placed her hand on the android's forehead and her palm radiated a warm glow.

"Yukari-san..."

Yukiko also wanted to help Yukari to heal Aigis.

"I don't think I've enough energy to fully heal her injuries since her body's structure is different from us human... but I'll try my best..." said Yukari as the glow of her hand brightened. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she heightened the intensity of the healing glow.

"Yukari-san, don't force yourself..." Yukiko gave the brunette a concerned look.

"It's alright... she's my friend. I'll do anything to help her..." the brunette replied before she smiled again.

Yukiko sighed before she placed her palm on top of Yukari's hand, giving aid for some healing energy.

"Well, she's my friend now, isn't she?"

~darkness~

Kanji was thrown behind as Tsukuyomi summoned Kanji's Persona, Rokuten Maoh and fired a powerful green jet-like projectile. Luckily Kanji used his shield to protect himself from the Primal Force.

"Kanji-kun!! Are you alright?!" cried Rise telephatically to Kanji. She and Teddie took a safe distance from the battle.

"Of course I'm alright!!" replied the man before he picked himself. Junpei stood beside him.

"Your Persona's a total nightmare, especially if it's used by our enemy..." commented the older guy who tightened his grip of his heavy sword.

"Thanks for that..." answered Kanji with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Chie and Koromaru tried to attack the man in black leather suit from behind but their action was to no avail as the gray-haired man managed to catch the martial-artist's kicking foot with his hand as he sent Koromaru flying behind with a kick. With a mighty strength, he threw Chie to the same direction as the canine.

"Uwaah!!" Chie landed on the floor with her butt first. "Oww... it hurt..." then she looked at the canine beside her.

"Are you alright, boy?" she asked Koromaru. The dog replied with a whimper.

Chie stood up and yelled "Suzuka Gongen!!" The female warrior dressed in black suit appeared and casted a God's Hand attack.

A golden fist descended onto Tsukuyomi but he managed to withstand the massive force of the attack with only one hand. Then the hand vanished.

"Uhh... he's too strong..." muttered Chie.

Naoto who was standing between Minato and Souji fired several bullets towards Tsukuyomi but like Aigis, the gunshots seemed to be blocked by him. The female detective groaned before she looked at Souji.

"What should we do, Souji-san?" Naoto asked her Senpai a suggestion.

"It seems that I've no more idea left... he's too strong..." answered the silverette. His silver eyes were fixated to Tsukuyomi's crimson orbs.

"Don't give up too early... I believe that you've some tricks in your sleeve left, Seta..." said Minato.

"Yeah, it's too early to surrender now... we should fight him." nodded Souji. Then a card appeared in front of him and he crushed it with his hand.

"Surt!!"

The fire-wielder from Norse mythology appeared in front of his summoner and raised his fiery sword. The ground around Tsukuyomi was on fire before the wild flame raised and engulfed him.

"Now, Naoto!!" he gave instruction to the female detective to attack.

"Yes, Yamato Takeru!!"

Naoto summoned her majestic Persona, Yamato Takeru of Fortune Arcana. The Persona who was dressed in white and blue suit swung her shiny Kusanagi blade towards Tsukuyomi who was on fire. The slash hit directly onto the man's torso.

"Yamato Takeru huh? You amaze me, detective..."

Naoto was rather astonished as she saw Tsukuyomi was not affected neither by the fire nor her attack. He used his sword to parry the Persona's bigger sword.

"Well, you should taste it too... Persona."

Naoto's eyes widened as Tsukuyomi summoned another Yamato Takeru. The copycat Persona swung her blade, cutting the original one's body and turning her into nothingness. Naoto winced as like the slash was inflicted onto her as well. The fake Yamato Takeru took the momentum of her sword to attack Naoto.

"Trismegistus!!"

Before the long sword reached Naoto, a metallic red Persona with golden wings dived onto the fake Yamato Takeru, pushing her behind. The fake Persona dissipated.

"Are you alright kid?" Junpei ran towards Naoto side.

"Thanks, Junpei-san..."

Naoto steadied herself and reloaded her revolver. Souji groaned because his plan didn't work. Minato seemed to be deep in thought.

"What do you think, Ryoji?"

_He's strong... he might probably stronger than me, I think..._

"You think?"

_Yes. His ability to mimic others' Persona is the key point... but I've a good idea and I hope you give me a full coorporation..._

"Right..."

"Do you say something?" asked Souji, realised that Minato had talked to himself.

"Nothing... but I think I've an idea... I'll make him immobile and that time, all of you strike him simultaneously..." suggested Minato.

"What will you do?"

Before the question could be answered, Minato dashed towards Tsukuyomi and had a one-by-one duel between him and the powerful man.

_All you have to do is touch him..._

Minato parried one of the attacks that descended to him with his rapier and held another one with his other hand. He managed to catch Tsukuyomi's wrist.

"Gotcha..."

Tsukuyomi startled a little as he saw a smirk formed on Minato's face. He quickly gave a kick onto the bluenette's stomach and sent him flying behind. He slammed on the wall.

"Ryoji, now!!" he yelled.

Suddenly a group of tendrils sprouted out from Tsukuyomi's casted Shadow and bound the man to earth. He was rather shocked.

"Now!!"

Souji and others attacked the immobile enemy almost in the same time. But much to their surprise, Tsukuyomi managed to break free from the binds and landed blows and kicks to every single individual who tried to attack him. All of them were sent flying behind.

"Urgh!!" Souji slammed on the wall and his sword fell on the floor. Naoto was also sent behind and crashed onto the wall near Souji as well. Kanji and Koromaru rolled on the floor as the attacks hit their head and stomach respectively. Chie and Junpei shared a same fate like their comrades as they also slammed on the wall as well.

"Senpai, are you alright?" asked Naoto as she tried to pick herself up. She placed her hand on her shoulder as there's some bones were broken at the part.

"Not really... I think I've broken some of my ribs and my wrist too..." replied Souji, managed to stand up although his wrist's bone was seemingly broken. "And how about you, Naoto?"

"It really hurt... I think my shoulder and leg's bones are broken too..." said Naoto, winced slightly as she stood up.

Minato who seemed to be injured managed to stand up too. Then a humanoid figure emerged from his shadow.

"You seem bad, Minato..." commented the black-haired man before he gave the bluenette some assistance.

"Your plan's failed, Ryoji..." said Minato.

"Sorry..." replied Ryoji apologetically.

Yukiko who was watching the battle began to worry about them. She pulled out her fan and ran to the battlefield as well.

"Amaterasu, Salva..."

Before she could summon her Persona with a swipe of her fan to cast Salvation, a pale hand gripped her wrist tightly and the card that was supposedly to be crushed, vanished. Yukiko was surprised that Tsukuyomi had appeared in front of her.

"My my... what a surprise... I'm delighted to see you, Amagi Yukiko, or should I say, my sister Amaterasu?" said Tsukuyomi.

Yukiko's eyes widened.

"What? Hey, get off me!! Get off me, now!!" Yukiko tried to release her hand from Tsukuyomi's grip but to no avail.

"Your eyes... they're same just like my sister Amaterasu... that deep, black beautiful eyes... you look like her too..." his eyes focused to Yukiko's. The red orbs pierced directly to Yukiko's dark eyes. He moved his face nearer to Yukiko's.

Yukiko's expression began to change as her eyes stared at Tsukuyomi's. She could feel something from the piercing gaze. The black-haired woman began to falter and her body trembled. Her eyes became wet and her mouth moved, as she tried to say something.

"Sou... Souji-kun... help... me..."

Then a ray of electricity nearly struck Tsukuyomi. He released Yukiko and looked at the spellcaster. He saw Souji, armed with his katana. His expression seemed to be very angry.

"Don't-ever-dare-to-touch-her, monster..." said Souji, saying every word in his sentence clearly with a very venomous tone. He dashed forward, ignoring any of his broken bone and swung his katana to the man. Tsukuyomi parried the attack with one of his sword before he moved to his original place.

"Yukiko, are you alright?" asked Souji as he walked nearer to Yukiko.

"I-I'm scared..." she said with a squeaky voice. Tear rolled on her cheek and she seemed terrified, as like she were seeing something that really scary.

Tsukuyomi chuckled before he lowered his weapons and made them vanished. He clapped his hands.

"Well, all of you have given a great entertainment for me... I think that's all for today..." he said before he snapped his fingers.

~darkness~

In the Room of Tempest, the battle between Yosuke and Kazematsuri stopped as the pink-haired woman stopped attacking Yosuke.

"I think that's all for today..."

In another room, namely Room of Thunder, Raiga stopped giving punches to Akihiko as he lowered his fist.

"Time to stop..."

As for Mitsuru and Sui, the battle halted as Sui stopped swinging her ice swords. Her frilly black dress seemed to be tattered a bit.

"We will return now, Kirijo-sama..."

In the Room of Inferno, Homura stopped throwing fireballs to Ken before he snorted.

"Get back already? You're lucky, kid..."

All of them reappeared in the place where Tsukuyomi and others were located. Four adjutants gathered around Tsukuyomi.

"Children of human... you've shown bravery, and I'll give you all a credit for that... and today, I'll permit you all to live... till we meet again..." Tsukuyomi and his four adjutants vanished.

~darkness~

"We lost, didn't we?" said Souji, sitting on the floor as Minato approached him. He put his katana beside him. All of them gathered at the stage-like place.

"We still alive... don't we? We will fight him again..." said Minato, sitting beside the silverette. Yukari and Teddie seemed to be busy casting healing spells to their injured comrades.

"I'm sorry... your plan didn't work as planned..." the silverette said apologetically.

"No, that's alright..." the bluenette shook his head.

Then Souji saw Yukiko, who was giving assistance to heal their friends. He stood up and walked towards the woman.

"Yukiko..."

The woman turned her attention from Junpei to the silverette.

"Yukiko, are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I... I'm alright... thanks..." she answered evasively before she returned her attention to attend Junpei.

"Can we talk... later?" asked Souji again.

Yukiko looked down as her hands continued to cast Diarama to heal Junpei.

"I don't... feel to talk... I'm sorry..." she replied.

Souji sighed. He closed his eyes and his hands glowed. He raised his hands and casted Mediaharan towards anybody around him. Then he walked away.

For Minato, he walked towards Aigis who had woken up.

"Sorry for troubling you, Minato-san..." she said guiltily.

"That's alright... don't be hard to yourself..." Minato gave her a reassuring smile as he patted the blonde's head.

Then Minato turned his attention to others.

"We should get out from here now and get some rest..."

As all of them prepared to get out from the place, Aigis who stood up suddenly slumped on the floor. Yukari and Minato surprised for that.

"Aigis... are you alright?" asked Yukari, worried.

"I'm alright, thanks, Yukari-san..." replied Aigis as she tried to stand up again. Then she fell again.

"I think you've some problems..." Minato crouched and examined Aigis' legs. Then he found some cracks on both android's legs.

"Your legs are broken... that's why you can't stand properly. That might probably because of that shock, right?"

Before she could react, Minato lifted Aigis and cradled her. He could hear the android gasped in surprise.

"Then I've to bring you, Aigis..." said Minato as he walked to the televisions with Aigis in his arms.

_Sigh... I wish I was like that too..._

"Yukari-san, are you alright?" asked Chie, who was preparing to go back to real world.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I guess..." replied Yukari.

~darkness~

Souji returned to his uncle's house after the battle. He threw himself on his couch.

"Damn it!!" he growled. He couldn't afford to stay calm anymore. Being defeated by that man, looking his friends being injured and seeing Yukiko being tormented by something that Tsukuyomi had given to her were just too much for him to afford of.

"Big bro... are you in?" then a girl's voice could be heard. After being left unprompted for several times, the door opened and a girl entered the room.

"Big bro... you want to eat dinner, don't you?" asked Nanako.

Souji stared at his cousin's angelic face for some moments before he replied "I don't feel to eat tonight, Nanako... I'm sorry..." Souji sat on his bed.

Nanako raised one of her eyebrows and asked "Did something happen?"

Souji was silent as Nanako gave him the question. He didn't want to answer it.

"Did you fight with big sis Yukiko?" asked Nanako again.

Souji was thinking for some moments. He thought she might be correct. Refused to talk can be considered as fighting.

"Yeah, maybe..." he replied with low voice.

"Then I'll tell her!! I'll tell her to speak to you!!" said Nanako.

"No, no... She's tired for now... you shouldn't call her now..."

Nanako looked at the older guy. Then she sat beside Souji and leaned her head on her big bro's shoulder.

"Please, don't worry... I don't remember you being like this last time... I'll be worried if you're worried..." said Nanako. That words managed to make Souji chuckled, first time after the battle ended.

"Yeah, I promise... I'm sorry, Nanako-chan..." he patted the young girl's head. Nanako seemed to enjoy the pats from her big bro.

~darkness~

Yukiko laid herself on her bed, crying. Remembering about what she had saw last time was just too much for her. The image of Tsukuyomi's red eyes was still piercing her mind. It's like that she had seen a very terrible thing, worse than her own Shadow.

Then, she heard her door was knocked. She left it just like that.

"Yukiko, are you there?"

Yukiko raised her head as she recognized the voice that was owned by her best friend, Chie. Then, the door was opened and a brunette woman entered the room.

"Yukiko, is something wrong? You look... bad..." the woman seemed to be worried about Yukiko's condition. Yukiko wiped her tear and tried her best to give her best friend a smile. "I heard from your mother that you refused to eat dinner, so I come here... did something happen?"

"I... I'm alright. Thanks..." she said, trying to hide her anxiety. Chie frowned. It's like she knew that the black-haired woman hid something from her.

"I know there's something wrong with you... do tell me, please..." demanded Chie. She sat beside Yukiko.

At first, Yukiko tried to speak, but nothing could be heard. Her body began to tremble before she broke into tear. Chie hugged her, trying to comfort her best friend.

"I-I'm scared..." she said with squeaky voice. "When I looked at his eyes, I saw... my Shadow... like five years ago... and I saw a woman... trapped in a dark cave... she's crying... I saw them within my mind..."

Chie stroke the black tresses of the woman tenderly.

"There there... don't worry... I'll be here for you..." she tried to calm Yukiko with her soft voice. She tightened her hug and whispered to Yukiko's ear "There's nothing to be worried about anymore... nothing... please don't cry, okay? Souji-kun might probably upset if he saw you like this..."

Yukiko seemed to stop crying as she wiped her tear. Then she gave Chie a slight smile.

"Thanks..." she said silently.

~darkness~

Souji stood in front of his television and stared at the electronic device. Then, he looked at his palm.

_I thought with this power, I can protect everyone..._

He sighed before he slumped himself on his couch. Ryoji was downstairs, watching a TV show with Nanako.

"Crap!!" he cursed himself for being so weak.

Then his cellphone rang. He took the device and looked at the caller's number. One of his eyebrows raised as the number was Yukiko's.

He put it on his ear and said "Hello..."

_Moshi moshi, Souji-kun..._

"Yukiko... what happened?" he said.

_Sorry for disturbing you tonight..._

"That's alright..."

_Well... don't worry about me now... I'm alright... thanks to Chie of course..._

"Thank goodness..."

_And... do you have some times?_

"What?"

_Can we... go out sometimes?_

Myriad Truth...

~darkness~

Oh no!! My computer is infected by virus!! What I should do?!!

Whatever... alright, thanks for anyone who reviewing me. There's nothing much to be said here. About this chapter, the battle between the group and Tsukuyomi continued and the result is... they lost. Haha, that's all, as usual, please read and review...

Albireo Imma


	11. Running Away

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 11: Running Away

"There's nothing wrong with your body, Aigis... you just didn't changes some of your equipments for many years..."

The red-haired woman took off her glasses before she closed her laptop. The blonde android that was literally naked looked at Mitsuru with a puzzled look.

"I did change some of my parts..." said Aigis. The golden rings were taken off from her joints, revealing the metallic internal parts from the openings. Mitsuru just sighed.

"I know... but you just didn't use appropriate equipments for your body. You lived for these seven years without fighting and wore the parts that suitable for you to live a normal life... but it seems the parts that you currently have on are not made for combat..." explained Mitsuru.

"I'm sorry... if I've change my parts earlier, I would not trouble you all that time..." said Aigis guiltily. Mitsuru gave the android a smile and put her hand on the android's shoulder.

"Don't worry about that. It's not all your fault... but, remember to be extra careful next time..." reminded the red-haired woman caringly. "And... I'll call the company to bring your new parts tomorrow..."

Aigis bowed appreciably "Thank you... I can't imagine getting through this without you, Mitsuru-san..."

"Don't mention it... and..." Mitsuru looked at Aigis' body from top to bottom. Then a rare smirk formed on her face.

"Some upgrades would be necessary I presume, with a brand new type of body which same like a human girl of course..."

"Mitsuru-san!!"

"Just kidding..."

~darkness~

She was alone in the hot spring bath at Amagi Inn. She preferred to not have a bath with Yukari or Mitsuru or Fuuka because she didn't feel right to have a bath with them. She immersed herself into the warm bath.

"59.59º celcius... suitable for a human being to enjoy a good bath..."

Aigis sighed. She immersed herself into the hot water. Although she could know the temperature of the water, she still wished to feel the warmth of the hot bath like a human being would feel. She just had a bath to clean herself, not to feel the warmness of the comfortable bath.

The blonde android put a small towel on her head. She was naked at that time. Without her clothes, she was utterly different from other girls. So, she preferred to have a bath alone.

She looked at her reflection on the surface of the water. A normal face, which has no much differences from others. Then, she washed her face with a splash before she let herself submerged into the water.

_Why should I be this different?_

Then, she heard someone's coming. She raised her head and looked at the slide door. She though that might be one of the girls.

"Excuse me, eh?"

Both Aigis and the newcomer were agitated as both of them looking at each other. The newcomer, who was absolutely not any of the people that Aigis had imagined to enter the place at the time, took a step aback instinctively.

"Mi-Mi-Minato-san?!"

"Aigis?"

The mentioned man, Minato, was currently half-naked with only a towel. The man took another step aback while his eyes were fixated to the blonde android.

Aigis' eyes widened as Minato still looked at her. She felt that her face heatened and steam come out from her ears. Without second thinking, she reached her bathrobe and scurried out from the place, leaving Minato in his petrified state.

She dashed out from there with her bathrobe on her into her room. She closed the door as soon as she entered her room. She leaned on the wall before she slid herself and sat on the floor. Tears began to roll from on her cheeks from her eyes.

_He saw it... he saw my hideous parts..._

~darkness~

The next day. It seemed that some members of SEES had gone for their works. Ken returned to Port Island to attend school although he still had two more days of break time. And Akihiko had gone to Tokyo to solve some cases. Mitsuru also had to return for her company. It left only Yukari, Koromaru, Fuuka, Junpei, Aigis and Minato at Amagi Inn. Ryoji was at Dojima's house. Junpei's wife, Chidori, also came to Inaba.

"What happen to him?" a brunette man, namely Yosuke who asked Junpei with his hand gestured to a bluenette who seemed depressed. The mentioned bluenette sat on the chair in front of a table at Junes Food Court. He just stared at his cup of coffee in front of him.

"You'll get used by that..." replied Junpei.

"Well, it's not like that, but..."

The mentioned navy-haired man slammed his head on the table. Both troublemakers sweatdropped.

"He seems... depressed, ya know?"

The man with baseball cap looked at his blueheaded companion for some moment before he frowned.

"Yeah, you're right..." nodded Junpei.

The troublemakers from both SEES and Investigation Squad sat beside Minato.

"Hey, Minato... what happen to ya?" asked Junpei, wrapping his hand behind Minato's neck.

"I... saw... Aigis... naked..." the blue-haired man replied slowly before he slumped his head on the table, again. Both Yosuke and Junpei squealed.

"Whoa!! You saw one of those girls had her bath? You da man!! Wait, did you say... Aigis?" Junpei's enthusiastic tone changed to a grim one as he mentioned Aigis' name.

Minato nodded.

Both troublemakers silenced.

"So... what had you seen then?" asked Yosuke, being the one among the troublemakers to speak after a long pause.

Minato's dazed look changed into a venomous glare. The brunette gulped and said "Sorry... so, what's the big deal?"

"Yeah, it's normal to see a girl's naked, ya know... added Junpei. Minato ruffled his hair. Then he sighed.

"But it's not normal to see a robot naked…" replied Minato.

"Then... she seemed upset when I looked her like that..." said Minato. Both Yosuke and Junpei patted the bluenette's shoulders.

"Don't worry, comrade... we'll help you..." both of them spoke simultaneously.

At the same time, some girls namely Yukari, Fuuka, Chie and Chidori came to the food court. Noticing an unusual aura from a certain bluenette at the place, Fuuka asked with her usual concerned tone "What happen to Minato-kun?"

So, both Junpei and Yosuke told the girls about what happened to Minato. They nodded several times as they heard the story about the hot bath and Aigis.

"So... he's currently worried about Aigis' feeling, that so sweet of him..." said Yukari. Unnoticed by others, her inner thought was different from what she had said.

_Why only Aigis? It's really unfair!! Sigh..._

"That's not totally your fault, Minato-kun... you're there by accident... all you can do is to say sorry to her..." said Chie. Minato nodded.

"Oh, that's why Aigis refused to have a breakfast with us... I'll go and have a look on her soon..." said Fuuka. Minato seemed to calm a little.

"Minato-san, don't worry... I'm sure that she'll understand..." the red-haired woman, namely Chidori said to Minato.

"Thanks, Chidori-san..." said Minato with a smile.

~darkness~

The bluenette stood up in front of Aigis' room. He breathed in and out for several times before he reached his hand to the door and knocked it. The knock went unprompted. He knocked it again and again and again...

No answer...

He opened the slide door and found nobody inside. He stepped in and looked around. The room was in mess with clothes and stuff scattered on the floor. He thought that something was not right.

"Byakko..." he muttered and an ethereal creature appeared in front of him. The white tiger tilted his head, seemed confused why he was being summoned in that time.

_Is something amiss?_

"You know better than me... you came from the sea of my soul, didn't you?" replied Minato. The holy beast looked at his summoner for some moment before he nodded curtly.

_Understood..._

The white tiger dashed out from a window nearby. The blue-haired man walked out from the inn and followed a glowing creature which happened to be his Persona.

~darkness~

Aigis was standing at the riverbank of Samegawa Floodplain, staring at the water. It was already evening at that time. Her eyes were still wet.

_There's no doubt that he'll hate me... he saw my hideous part..._

She sighed. She looked on her palm before she took off her white gloves. A pair of white hands with black-tipped fingers looked very different compared to the other girls' hands.

_Why I've to be this different?_

She returned her gaze to the water. Being hated by the one who she wished to protect was the greatest misery she would ever have, greater than her sadness years ago, when the man she swore to protect, left her.

Tears began to gather on her eyes. She blinked her eyes, trying to not cry. She looked at the water, planning something.

_A machine with no reason to live..._

She bit her lips, trying to withstand her fear for doing her planned plan.

_...shouldn't be allowed to live..._

Without second thought after deciding to carry out her plan, she leapt into the water. Slowly, her body sunk into the water. With her body went down into the bottom of the river, she took a look up her, only to see the fleeting light of the world outside the river.

_It's getting darker if it's getting deeper..._

She closed her eyes. She thought if she sunk into the bottom of the river, her body would be left just like that. All she had to do was to wait her body to touch the cold bottom of the icy river.

_I'm... I'm..._

She felt the light from outside had gone.

_Afraid..._

She felt her back had touched the bottom.

_It's... cold..._

Then, she felt something around her body, like a pair of two strong arms. As the two arms embraced her tightly, she felt that she ascended upward. In a split second, she saw a pair of two bluish-gray eyes.

As she reached the surface, she felt that she was tossed onto the land by the strong arms. She felt that she was laying on the ground, not sure whether she was alive or not.

"Thank goodness... I arrived on time..."

By hearing the deep voice, the android took a look to the one who took her out from the water. She gasped as he saw Minato, with his drenched black shirt, looking at her expectantly.

"Minato-san?!"

Aigis' blue jacket was wet, so like Minato's black shirt. The man's trench coat was lying behind him, might probably be taken off before he jumped into the water to get Aigis. He turned his head towards a glowing creature, which happened to be Byakko. The bluenette gave the white tiger a nod.

"Thank you..." he thanked to the white tiger.

_Hmph... You're using me like a mere dog..._

There was a faint trace of sarcasm in the creature's tone before he vanished into thin air.

"Aigis... are you alright?" Minato gave the android a sudden question. Aigis never expected it because she thought that he would ask 'what in the world are you doing?' or 'don't do that again.' She couldn't help but to nod.

"I-I thought... you..."

"Hate you? For looking at your inhuman parts?"

Aigis looked at the man's face before she turned at other direction as she felt her face heatened.

"I'm the one who should be hated... I'm sorry... I didn't do it on purpose... I'm really, really sorry, Aigis..." the man spoke guiltily.

"No! No! It's not your fault!! I just..." the blonde gynoid's sentence stopped. Minato looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Just what?"

"I just... think that you might not accept me because of that... I just afraid... you might not look me just like you did before, after you saw me like that..."

Aigis looked at the bluenette, waiting for the answer. The man grinned before he reached the gynoid's head and patted it.

"But I still come to save you... even after I saw it, didn't I?"

The casual reply from the man made the android agitated for a while. Then, Minato touched Aigis' cheek.

"Don't worry that much... whoever you are, I still can accept you... even if you don't accept yourself... will you promise to me to not do it again?"

Aigis nodded as tears began to gather on her eyes again. She said "I will! Thank you..." before she kissed the man cheek, much to the man's surprise. After being awestruck for a few seconds, Minato smiled before he picked his black coat and turned back to Aigis.

"Let's go back... Yukari become awfully worried when she discovered that you're gone..."

~darkness~

"What in the world are you thinking, Aigis?! Are you losing your mind already?!!" shrieked the brunette woman in pink dress before she hit the android who was having a seiza position with a paper harisen comically. Minato tried to calm her down.

"There there... there's no need for you to do that..." said Minato, who was sitting beside Aigis with his usual innocent face.

Aigis seemed to sulk at that time. Then, she raised her face and said "Sorry to make you worried, Yukari-san... sorry..."

"Hmph!! Don't do that again, okay!!" said Yukari with mock seriousness. Aigis smiled and nodded. The other SEES member who was recently arrived from Port Island, Mitsuru, rubbed her chin and asked a question.

"This problem started when Arisato entered the bathroom, am I correct?" she asked. Aigis nodded and Minato felt that something bad would happen.

"Yes... but this is not his fault..." replied Aigis.

"I see... but if it were me..." suddenly her red eyes pierced the bluish-gray eyes of Minato. It's like the glance capable to froze him. Minato moved aback.

"An 'execution' would be necessary..." the woman with red hair continued. Minato sweatdropped and gulped.

"Senpai, it's not his fault... I don't think he deserves that, unlike someone I know..." said Yukari before she rolled her eyes towards another man who also became a spectator of the conversation.

"Hey!! Don't look me like that, Yuka-tan!!" bellowed Junpei.

~darkness~

"Sorry for bothering you, Yukari-san..." said Aigis apologetically. The android in yukata looked at her new roommate, Yukari who dressed in the same clothes the android had on.

"It's okay... I would like to have a company of course..." replied Yukari. She slipped herself into her futon

"Good night..."

Both Aigis and Yukari were inside their futons. Aigis seemed to be sleeping whereas Yukari was thinking about something while she looked at the sleeping android's face. Then, she looked at the ceiling.

_She loves him... I wonder if I can make like her too..._

Then, she felt that she was hugged by someone. She looked beside her and saw the sleeping Aigis, glomming onto her. She moaned slightly as Yukari moved a little bit. The brunette woman smiled before she tucked the blonde one into her blanket as well.

"Umu... Minato-san..." the sleeping android mumbled. An amused smile curved formed on Yukari's face before she hugged the blonde gynoid. The android made another slight move, searching for a comfortable position in Yukari's warm hug.

"Don't worry, Aigis..."

She stroked the blonde hair of the android tenderly.

"You're not alone anymore..."

~darkness~

Minato was talking to someone by his cellphone. His face seemed serious.

"I'm counting on you, Ken..." he said.

_Don't worry... I'll do it in no time..._

"Good. And it's advisable for you to bring along your Evoker... you might need it to convince him..."

_Yeah... I'm sure I can do it... just leave it to me..._

"That's what I wanted to hear from you... just be careful, okay? And don't make your dorm mates saw your Evoker..." reminded the bluenette.

_Okie dokie... good night, Minato-san..._

~darkness~

Ken looked at his cellphone after he finished his conversation with Minato. He was at the lounge of the Iwatodai Dormitory. A blonde female looked at him expectantly.

"Who's that, Ken-kun?" asked the girl. She dressed in Gekkoukan High School's uniform.

Ken looked at his dorm mate before he smiled.

"A friend of mine, Aya-san..."

~darkness~

It's me, Albireo Imma. I was getting depressed nowadays because of project works at school, poor grades, my computer being infected by viruses, my P3 Fes and P4 cannot be played anymore (badly scratched and of course, pirate version), and having writer block. Because of that, I might have problem in my writing and I'm now mentally disoriented. Sorry if there are some mistakes in my story, and I think this story might have more mistakes than before. So, please inform me if there is mistake in my story.

This chapter is about Aigis and whatever. My mind's getting sick because of my problems and I don't have mood to write anything about this chapter. Anyway, reviews are always being welcomed. That's all...

Albireo Imma


	12. Dream

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 12: Dream

She found herself in a very dark cave. The woman looked around, trying to acquaint her eyes with the darkness. Then, she found a human figure, slumping in a corner of the place.

Although it was very dark, she could see the figure clearly, like the figure itself emitted some kind of light that allowed it to be seen. It was a woman, a beautiful woman with long black hair. She dressed in silky white kimono. The beautiful woman was crying.

Concerned, the other woman walked nearer to the crying woman and spoke with her soft tone.

_Why are you crying?_

The weeping woman raised her head and her two dark orbs could be seen. Trails of tears could be seen on her cheeks. She wiped the trails with her sleeve.

"I... I'm scared..." replied the woman. She seemed to be calm a bit.

_What happened? Is something bothering you?_

The woman nodded. Then she spoke "I'm afraid of my brother... he's... he's..." then she stopped. She refused to continue her sentence.

_Why are you here?_

"To hide from my brother..."

Suddenly, the place brightened. It's like the woman herself made the place bright.

_What is your name?_

"Amaterasu..."

~darkness~

"Amaterasu..."

"Yukiko... are you alright?"

The woman in red dress startled as the silverette asked her the question. Then she replied "I-I'm alright!!"

The silverette, Souji sighed. The silver-haired man who dressed in denim jeans and loose shirt continued to sip his drink whereas Yukiko stared on the soda in front of her. They currently located at Junes Food Court. It's not like that they had nothing else to go, but actually they had walked around Inaba before they went to that place.

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko looked at her boyfriend's face.

"Hmm?" Souji replied lazily without looking at the woman's face.

"May I ask you something?"

"I don't mind..."

"Do you... always dream about something strange?" the woman asked. The question managed to make the man frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... actually, I've dreamed about something, or rather someone... I found myself inside a dark cave and there's a crying woman inside that cave..." Yukiko continued.

Souji rubbed his chin, seeming to be fascinated about the thing that Yukiko had told him.

"So, did she tell you about something?" the silverette asked.

"She told her name... she said her name was... Amaterasu..."

Souji's eyes widened. Amaterasu, the name of sun goddess in Shinto mythology and one of Izanagi's three noble children. A deity who sat on a throne of heaven as a heavenly being who illuminate herself as the source of living.

"Is something wrong with that?" Yukiko asked Souji who had fallen into his own thought.

"Since when you dream about her?" asked the silverette hastily.

"After we returned from our mission..."

"I see... I think you should return now... let me walk you to your home..." the silverette stood up. Yukiko looked at the man, seemingly confused about the sudden change of mood of the man.

~darkness~

"Welcome to Velvet Room, Seta Souji..."

Souji took his seat in the elevator-like room. He took a look to another chair beside him and the seat was empty.

"I see that you have something in your mind... may I know about it as well?" asked the master of the room, Igor with his usual smirk.

"It's about someone... she dreamed about someone who had a name same like her Persona..." the silverette spoke. Igor chuckled before a card appeared in his hand.

"I see... Priestess... a fate might be sealed on her as well, just like you... it is such a pity because she doesn't have any condition that allows her to be my guest in the Velvet Room..." he swayed the tarot card which was the card of Priestess Arcana before the tiny blue card vanished.

"No... she wouldn't be your guest... I don't want to make her know about this..."

"Oh... I see what you mean... so, is there something that might bother you about this?" Igor asked.

"Is she... the goddess' incarnation?" Souji asked Igor about the thought that kept revolving within his mind.

Igor chuckled again before he replied "Maybe yes... maybe not, my young one... but I would like to remind you that a Persona is something that is reflected from one's inner self, not one's past life..."

"So... why did she have such a dream?" asked Souji, seemed impatient for an answer.

"Why should you think like that, my lad?" Igor asked back.

"Because since I got my Persona ability, me and my dream cannot be separated... so, please... answer me, Igor!!"

Igor looked at the young silverette's face before he closed his eyes.

"Very well... let just think that Amaterasu herself became fascinated to Priestess... just like Izanami bestowed you the power of Izanagi... a divine being becomes interested to someone who is a mere mortal..." somehow, his tone seemed bitter.

"Fascinated? So... will she be okay?"

"Who knows?" Igor gave the silverette a simple reply. Souji let out a defeated sigh. He stood up and readied himself to go out from the room. "I'm going..."

~darkness~

When he arrived at his uncle's house, he found out that Minato was there, watching television with Nanako. Ryoji was nowhere to be found, might probably at Junes, fooling around with Teddie and Yosuke.

"Ah, Seta-san... welcome back..." greeted Minato.

"Minato-san?"

"Big bro!! Welcome home!!" then the young girl who happened to be Nanako greeted him.

"Uhh... Minato-san, what're you doing here?" asked Souji, still standing in front of the door.

"Just paying a visit to your nice cute little cousin... and please pray to heaven so I wouldn't steal her and become her new big bro..." a casual reply, but it managed to make Souji sweatdropped. Then, Minato stood up and went to kitchen.

"I think that miso soup might be ready to be served..."

Souji sat beside Nanako and asked her "Since when he was here?"

"Since you went out from here and have a date with big-sis Yukiko..." replied Nanako innocently as she was watching the TV show.

"Oh... wait!!! How did you know?!!"

"Ryoji-kun told me..."

Souji sighed, again.

~darkness~

Night at Amagi Inn. Yukiko was still not sleeping. She felt uneasy since she had that unusual dream. Then, she walked out from the inn. Outside, she gazed onto the night sky.

"Amaterasu..." she muttered. Then, she looked at a shiny object on the sky which happened to be the moon.

"Moon..."

Suddenly, as she looked at the moon, she imagined of the red eyes of Tsukuyomi. The image of the crying woman crossed her mind and she also saw something even more terrifying than her Shadow.

"No... stop it..." she clutched her head as she kneeled onto ground. Tears began to gather on her eyes as she watched the images for several times.

"Stop!!"

As she shrieked, a kind of azure light bursted from her body and a yellow ethereal being which is called as Persona emerged. She spun her body and burned some trees nearby. She panted heavily as the Persona dissipated.

"Yukiko-chan? Are you okay?"

Yukiko looked behind and saw Fuuka in yukata. Her face seemed worried. It seemed that the green-haired woman had seen what had happened.

"I'm alright, thanks..." replied Yukiko, wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead with the sleeve of her yukata.

Fuuka looked at the burned trees. "Your Persona... she's..."

"It's alright... I probably a little bit distressed..."

Fuuka were silent for some moments.

"I need some rest... don't worry about me, okay?" Yukiko tried to hide her worries with a smile to Fuuka. The black-haired woman walked staggerly and Fuuka reached her.

"Ouch!!" suddenly Fuuka yelped and lifted her hand from Yukiko's shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Yukiko asked with her quizzical look.

"Umm... nothing..." the green-haired woman replied.

Yukiko went back into the inn. Fuuka stared on her reddened hand, as like she had touched something that really hot.

"Her body... it feels hot..."

~darkness~

The woman found herself inside the cave again. She looked around and saw the crying woman, but this time, the woman didn't cry. As the woman looked at the other woman, who was Yukiko, she smiled.

"You've come again..." the woman said weakly before she gave Yukiko a faint smile.

"Amaterasu..."

Then, the cave brightened, this time it became brighter than the last time.

"You've said my name too... Amagi Yukiko... let us have a talk..."

"You know my name?" asked Yukiko, confused.

"I am... I know everything about you..." said Amaterasu.

Yukiko looked around the cave. It not like that the cave itself was dirty, but it was a little bit inappropriate for a beautiful woman like Amaterasu to stay.

"Why are you here?" asked Yukiko.

Amaterasu's face turned sad "I'm hiding from my brother..."

"Your brother? Do you mean Tsukuyomi?" asked Yukiko again.

"I don't feel to answer it... sorry..."

"Umm... alright. So, why am I here?"

Amaterasu touched Yukiko's hands.

"You're scared too, aren't you?" asked Amaterasu with her whispery voice.

Yukiko seemed hesitant for some moments before she nodded.

"Then, we're in the same boat..." a joyful smile formed on Amaterasu's face. "So... what should we do, or rather what should you do?"

"I wish... I can be stronger..." answered Yukiko.

"I see... if you seek for strength, I willingly give you some..."

Before Yukiko could react, Amaterasu's hands glowed and emitted a very bright and blinding light. The woman felt something pulsinated within her hands and entered her body.

"I hope you wouldn't hide... don't let yourself being left into darkness... just like me..." it was the last word that Yukiko could hear from Amaterasu before her vision darkened.

"Amaterasu, wait!!"

And the day for a Persona-user named Amagi Yukiko would be never been the same again...

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo. Some of my problems have been settled, so no worries. I don't have much about this chapter and this chapter is about Yukiko. Please be reminded that I would be in hiatus in any time because my final is drawing near. So, as usual, drop some reviews...

Albireo Imma


	13. Yata no Kagami

The Darkness Within us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 13: Yata-no-Kagami

In a dimension which was hidden from mortals' sight, a cloaked man sat on a majestic throne casually with his head reclined on one of the armrests in a lazy manner whereas a bespectacled white-haired man in white suit was standing beside the cloaked man.

"Raiga... what do you think about Amagi Yukiko?" asked the cloaked man, Tsukuyomi.

"I can say that her power's still weak... but she has talent that might even surpass me as the strongest adjutant of yours, master..." said Raiga, plainly.

"I see... so, she'll be a great obstacle for us, right?" Tsukuyomi rubbed his chin.

"I don't think in that way, if she doesn't have any any connection of Seta Souji... and furthermore, what's your plan?"

The glowing red eyes could be seen from the shadowy shade of Tsukuyomi's cloak. Then a smirk formed.

"Our main objective is to kill Seta Souji and anything that could hinder us for achieving such a goal should be fixed immediately..."

Raiga frowned. "You don't plan to kill her too, do you?" he asked.

"Well, what's in your mind, Adjutant of Thunder?" Tsukuyomi smirked again.

"Although we should kill Seta Souji, we shouldn't include innocents into this... they have nothing to do with this... and I've made sure to not kill them by fixing a limitation for other adjutants..." said Raiga with his deep voice.

"It seems that you've achieved human feeling... it might probably because you've spent more times at with mortals..." replied Tsukuyomi, a little bit disappointed by his adjutant's statement.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsukuyomi-sama... but please consider... I know it might be selfish, but killing those who had nothing to do with this seems a little bit... wasteful..." the white-haired adjutant spoke with his yellow and blue eyes fixated to his master's crimson orbs.

"I see what you mean, my son... but I still see that, Amagi Yukiko is another obstacle that should be eliminated... my sister might probably had met her by now..."

"Sister? Did you mean Ama..."

"Don't say that name in front of me, Raiga."

Raiga gulped and bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, my master... I'll do anything to achieve such a grand dream just for you, Tsukuyomi-sama..."

"Good... and as for that, we should make our move... but I presume that you didn't fit to do such a task for me..."

"That's too bad for me..." although he said that regretfully, he felt a little relieved for not being appointed to make a meaningless killing. He turned back before Tsukuyomi spoke again.

"And I thought Kazematsuri might fit for this task..."

Raiga sighed. He couldn't afford to stop his master for achieving his goal. The only thing he could do was to stay in low-profile.

"And that's why I hate for being so evil..." he muttered.

~darkness~

Yukiko had a walk around Inaba after she found nothing that she thought might fill her free time. A cooking lesson might be rejected from the list for 'the thing that I should do today' because she would just ruin anything. Chie had her usual job at police station, Rise had gone to Tokyo for her job, Kanji was helping his mom, Yosuke and Teddie were busy with their job at Junes, Naoto was busy solving some cases at Tokyo, Nanako had her usual meeting with her buddies and Souji refused to answer her calls, whatever that mean.

She also couldn't hang with SEES members because Fuuka had returned to Port Island because of her work as a nurse, Ken was at Gekkoukan High School, Akihiko was still at Tokyo to solve some cases as well and Naoto might helped him, Mitsuru had to do her job as the chairwoman of Kirijo Corporation, Junpei had to pay a visit at Cosplay Cafe for his wife as well for his baseball training, Aigis was still sulking in her room and Yukari seemed busy to comfort her, Minato was nowhere to be found as well as Ryoji, and Koromaru seemed lazy to have a walk when he answered Yukiko's question to take him for a walk with a yawn.

Yukiko sighed again as she arrived at Samegawa Floodplain. She was alone there. She took out her cellphone and called Souji. After several tries, she gave up because Souji didn't answer her calls.

_Souji-kun... what happened to you... whatever happened to you, please just tell me..._

She put her cellphone back into her pocket. Then, she looked on her white palm. She still remembered about her encounter with Amaterasu.

"Power?" she muttered. "What's the mean by that?"

Then she closed her eyes. The soft breeze of spring was blown onto her soft skin. Then she smiled.

_I probably too childish to believe in that dream... I wish I could be like Naoto-kun..._

Suddenly, she felt something strange around her. She turned her head and took out her fan from her handbag. She tossed her handbag aside before she crushed a glowing blue card and yelled "Amaterasu!!"

The Persona appeared and casted Maragidyne around her. The wall of fire became a barrier to withstand a flurry of kunais. The projectiles melted before they could reach Yukiko.

"Excellent reaction, Amagi Yukiko... no wonder that Tsukuyomi-sama looked up to you..." a female yet ghostly voice could be heard. As the wall of fire reduced, Yukiko could see a female pink hair in blue jumpsuit.

"Who're you?!" Yukiko readied herself for any attack.

"We might have met before, but may I introduce myself... I'm Kazematsuri, Adjutant of Wind of Tsukuyomi-sama..." Kazematsuri gave Yukiko a smile.

"What do you want? Why are you attacking me?!" asked Yukiko furiously. She charged forward and used her iron-laced fan to fight the pink-haired woman.

"Because it's Tsukuyomi-sama's order... he wants you to be killed, just like what he wants for Seta Souji to be for..." Kazematsuri replied as she parried the swiping fan with one of her kunais. Then she put one of her kunai on her mouth before she put her empty hand on Yukiko chest.

"Garula..."

Instead of appearing as slicing windwhirl, the blow of wind pushed the woman behind and slammed onto a nearby tree. Yukiko slumped onto the ground and her fan fell. She felt like some hot liquid spilt out from her mouth.

"Urgh..." she whimpered as she touched her chest. It felt like someone had knocked her chest with a metal hammer.

"Don't worry... I'll make sure to kill you slowly so you could tell anyone in hell about how you die precisely..." the pink-haired woman smirked. She spun her kunais on her hands.

"I... will... kill you!!" shrieked Yukiko before she summoned her Persona. Amaterasu appeared above her and casted multiple fire strikes towards the shadow-like woman.

Kazematsuri just dodged the fire before she threw one of her kunais. The weapon managed to hit Yukiko's shoulder. Before she could heal herself, Kazematsuri choked the woman with her hand around Yukiko's throat. Kazematsuri seemd to enjoy this as she looked at Yukiko who was struggling to have a breath.

"Sou-ji-kun..." the woman choked. Tears gathered on her widened eyes. She could not free herself from Kazematsuri's choke.

_I-I'm sorry... for being so weak..._

Suddenly...

"Primal Force!!!"

The pink-haired woman was threwn by a powerful green jet-like projectile before Yukiko saw Souji with Helel above him. A katana was tightly gripped in his hand.

"That's what you've done to Yukiko..." growled Souji fiercely. Then he ran to Yukiko and crouched at the woman's side.

"Yukiko, are you alright?!" asked Souji, touching Yukiko's face.

"Umm... I'm alright..." replied Yukiko sheepishly.

"Stay behind... I'll defeat her..." said Souji as he stood up. A card appeared in front of him before he crushed it with his palm.

"Surt, Ragnarok!!!"

The green grass was violently burned by the massive fiery projectile as it surrounded the newly-stood up Kazematsuri. Then, an explosion occurred. Souji then grabbed Yukiko's hand to run away.

"Yukiko, quick!! We should leave!! I'll tell Minato-san..."

Both of them ran away from that place. Suddenly, they were surrounded by dark cocoon-like thing before they engulfed by it. They found themselves trapped inside the dark place.

"Where are we?!" asked Yukiko, panicked.

"I don't know..." replied Souji with his calm tone but it could be known that he worried about their condition as well.

"Well well... it seems that you're trapped inside my trap..." then Kazematsuri appeared. She seemed to be not affected by the attacks before.

"You!!" Souji stood defensively in front of Yukiko. He gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip of his sword.

"And I also get you... Seta Souji... ready to die, mortals..." Kazematsuri seemed to be engulfed by black cocoon before she revealed her true form, which took its shape like a black-feathered swan.

Yukiko's eyes widened as she saw the true form, which resembled her own Shadow five years ago. She trembled, seemed terrified by seeing the black bird.

"Tch!!" Souji readied himself before he summoned Izanagi. "Ziodyne!!"

A ray of electricity descended onto the bird-like creature but the attack seemed to not affect it. Souji made another attack with his sword but the bird's body was hard like a concrete wall. With a mighty swipe, the bird hit the silverette with its wing. The attack sent the man behind.

"You shall perish!!" the bird shrieked before the surrounding was becoming windy. The wind was blown towards the silverette and the highly-velocity wind managed to leave gashes and wounds on Souji's body.

"Urgh!!" Souji fell on his knee as blood trickled onto the cold white floor. The birds slowly approached the man and Yukiko couldn't do anything except waiting to see the man she loves being tore apart.

"No... stop..." she muttered as her tears rolled on her cheeks.

_If you seek for strength, I willingly give you some..._

"Don't kill him... don't kill him..."

_You're scared, aren't you?_

"Please... just kill me instead..."

_I hope you wouldn't hide... don't let yourself being left into darkness... just like me..._

'Stop!!" Yukiko bellowed. As for that, something blinding bursted out from the woman's body and the light took its form into Persona Amaterasu. She spun her body and casted Agidyne towards the creature. The bird-like creature was thrown behind.

"I wouldn't let you hurt Souji-kun!!" Yukiko walked towards Souji and embraced him protectively. "Not before I dead!!"

"Yukiko..." Souji spoke slowly.

"Don't worry... this time, I'll protect you, Souji-kun..." said Yukiko with a smile. Her hands still wrapped the man's body.

"Hmph!! Love, rubbish from human heart... it makes me sick... well, if that's what you want, I'll give you..."

The bird opened its mouth and a form of Almighty attack concentrated inside the hollow mouth. Then, the creature fired it, forming a red and white projectile.

Yukiko tightened her hug to the silverette as she shouted "Yata-no-Kagami!!"

As the projectile almost reached them, it was stopped by something that invisible or rather an invisible shield.

"Reflect!!"

Suddenly, another red and white projectile was fired but this time not by the bird, but by the unseen barrier. In a split second, they could see a glint of the glistering invisible shield. The projectile hit onto the black bird.

"Arrghh!!" the bird screamed in agony as the Almighty attack fired onto its body. The hit sent the beast backwards. As the debris reduced, the black bird reverted itself into its human form.

"Urgh... how dare you..." snarled the nowly-wounded pink-haired woman as she clutched her injured shoulder. "I swear I'll kill you!!"

Yukiko readied herself for any attack as she stood defensively in front of wounded Souji. The silverette could see the woman's trembling hands which gripped her fan tightly. Souji wished to help Yukiko as well but he felt that his body was heavy like lead.

"That's enough... Kazematsuri..."

The deep and low voice made the three people there halted. Kazematsuri turned behind and saw a bespectacled white-haired man in white suit. Yukiko could see the yellow and blue eyes behind the eyeglasses of the newcomer.

"Raiga... don't bother me..." demanded Kazematsuri rudely with her angry expression.

"You've lost... that's enough for you to return back..." said Raiga nonchalantly.

"Go away!! I'll kill them!!" shouted the woman angrily with her face turned back to Yukiko and Souji.

"Then you'll give me no choice..." Raiga spoke with his rare solemn tone. He reached his two fingers to Kazematsuri's neck and touched it. Suddenly sparks of electricity ignited and made the woman shocked. Then, she fell onto the cold floor, seemingly unconscious.

"What're you doing?!" exclaimed Yukiko as she saw what had happened. Raiga picked his unconscious comrade and put her on his shoulder with ease.

"That's the only thing that I could do to help you guys..." said Raiga. "Forgive for my rudeness... my name is Raiga, Adjutant of Thunder of Tsukuyomi-sama... good to see both of you here, Seta Souji... Amagi Yukiko..."

"Good?! Good?! After attacking me and injuring both of us?!" Yukiko blurted out angrily.

"Forgive me for my sibling's action... this is my responsibility to say sorry to both of you... to be honest, I don't want to kill you..." said Raiga apologetically.

"What?!" muttered Yukiko, stupefied.

"What do you mean by that?!" asked Souji, trying to pick himself up.

The white-haired man smiled kindly, unlike his other siblings' smirks. Then he spoke "That's why I don't like to be so evil... it kinda annoying... I not like my other siblings who were trying to kill you if they have their chance... I hate that kind of thinking..."

Souji and Yukiko petrified.

"I know what is on your mind... but that's the way I am..."

Raiga with Kazematsuri on his arm turned from Yukiko and Souji before the silverette asked "Why do you want to kill me?"

Raiga sighed before he answered "Because you're merely an obstacle of my master's grand wish..."

"But why? Your master wishes to kill me and yet... you... don't seem bad..." asked Yukiko.

Raiga chuckled as he replied "That's the way of both opposing sides... one side would think that the other side is wrong and vice versa... you can think it in common sense, don't you?"

Both Yukiko and Souji were silent.

"Anyway... thank you for seeing me as a good man... and... if you wish to fight my master, just pay a visit into TV world. Take care..."

As for that, Raiga and Kazematsuri vanished and the surrounding reverted back to normal.

"Is it over?" asked Souji. Before Yukiko could answer it, she fell onto ground.

"Yukiko? Yukiko, are you alright? Answer me!!" the silverette who was surprised bu that, shaking the woman who seemed to be unconscious. Not away from them, a bluenette was watching them intently from behind a tree.

"Ryoji... did you watch it?" said Minato to above him before a black-haired man with his yellow scarf and smug grin popped out from the thick leaves of the tree with upside down position which his feet were hung on a branch.

"Yup! I saw it... Yata-no-Kagami, right?" Ryoji spoke with his usual awful enthusiasm.

"She might probably achieve a new power... we should observe her carefully... and it's up to you to make her hone the new power by herself..." Minato said with his eyes closed.

"Yata-no-Kagami... it same just like my Moonless Gown... I wonder if we will see more than that after this..."

Ryoji grinned again, this time with a rare ghostly smirk.

"Fufufufu... it's getting interesting..."

~darkness~

Again, my latest chapter and for this chapter, a duel happened. Just read it and you'll know why. Anyway, for those who don't know what is Yata-no-Kagami (or Yata Mirror), it is one of Amaterasu's sacret artifact which is a mirror. You'll understand why its functions like Moonless Gown (RyojiNyx Avatar technique), the most hated enemy's skill in the game, because of its reflecting nature. Beside the mirror, there will be also other artifacts which are Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi or Kusanagi Sword and Yasakani-no-Magatama or Yasakani Jewels. One interesting fact is, Yukiko's Persona, Amaterasu has a sword in her hand (anyone should see its official image) which is Kusanagi Sword, so like Naoto's Persona, Yamato Takeru who has a sword which is also Kusanagi Sword (since in its legend, Yamato Takeru is descended from Amaterasu). I'll think something about it which includes Naoto, in other chapters I think. Oh, and Amaterasu was hiding from Susano-O, not Tsukuyomi. I'll include it in other chapters I think. As usual, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	14. Hidden Hideout

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 14: Hidden Hideout

The woman once again found herself inside the cave. She looked around, to see the other woman. The other woman, Amaterasu stepped in from the dark part of the cave with a kind smile on her white face.

"I know you'll do it, Yukiko..." said Amaterasu with a proud expression.

"Yata-no-Kagami... is that the 'strength' that you gave me last time?" asked Yukiko.

"Hmm... who knows... it depends on what your reasons are... I know that you wished to protect Izanagi, right?"

"Izanagi?" Yukiko gave the other woman a puzzled look.

"Oh, sorry... he's not truly Izanagi... I mean Seta Souji, right?"

Yukiko nodded. Amaterasu chuckled joyfully before she spun around like she was dancing.

"But... why you called him Izanagi?" asked Yukiko, confused.

Amaterasu stopped in her track and she seemed to be thinking for some moments with one of her fingers on her cheek. Then she replied "Because he carries some parts of Izanagi within him... just like you for having my Yata Mirror within you... but you might be right, others can't call you Amaterasu for just possessing my mirror, right?"

"Umm... maybe, I think..." answered Yukiko uncertainly.

"Listen, my dear... I wish with the power I bestowed upon you, you would not make a same mistake just like the people from the past... it is the future you should think about..." said Amaterasu kindly.

"Mistake? What do you mean by that?"

"You'll know about it someday... farewell..."

~darkness~

The woman slowly opened her eyelids and found herself on a very comfortable warm futon. She looked upon herself, who was dressed in white yukata. She touched her shoulder. She winced slightly as she felt the wound stung her. She looked around the place she was at. It was a large wooden room, resembling a traditional Japanese house. She knew that her family's inn was Japanese's styled, but she didn't remember to have a very large room in the inn. As for that, the slide door opened and a silverette entered the room with a tray of food.

"Ah... Yukiko, good morning..." greeted Souji with his usual kind smile.

"Umm... morning..." replied Yukiko hesitantly. "Sorry for asking, but where are we? I don't remember Dojima-san's house to have a large room like this..."

Souji chuckled as Yukiko asked him that question. Then Ryoji and Minato entered.

"It seems that you're awake, Amagi-san... good morning..." greeted Minato politely. He had an apron on him and a scarf on his head, signifying that he was previously working at the kitchen. This appearance was totally contrary to his usual brooding approach.

"Good morning, Minato-san... Ryoji-kun..." said Yukiko slowly. "Where are we exactly?"

"Hmm... a good question, Yukiko-san..." mouthed Ryoji. "As you can see... this place never resembles any of the places that you know right?"

Yukiko answered the question with a nod.

"So..." Ryoji posed himself with his usual overdramatic movements "As a man who capable to conquer anything... me, Mochizuki Ryoji, used some of his great power to create such a place which exists as a different dimension... a gimmick that you would expect from a final boss of some lousy RPGs..."

Souji and Yukiko sweat dropped as they looked at Ryoji's antic whereas Minato just pretended to not look at it.

"This place is hidden from other people since this place is different from the real world... but don't worry, time acts just the same inside here... and the entrance of this place is at Dojima-san's house..." explained Minato helpfully as he knew that Ryoji's brag was just messing up the situation.

"Cool huh? I've contacted your parents earlier... I've told them that you have a sleepover at Chie's house... and I've told Chie and Yosuke about this place either..."

Then Souji put the tray of food in front of Yukiko.

"Here... I know that you're hungry..." said the silverette kindly.

"But, I-I..."

Grooo~

"I hear someone's stomach's growling..." said Minato with amusement.

"Minato-san!!"

~darkness~

"Whoa... this place's huge!!" commented Yukiko in awe. The place was big, just like a large suite house. The place was furnished with traditional Japanese style. She took a glance to a window nearby and found beautiful scenery outside.

"It's just an illusion... just a small matter to be done..." explained Ryoji helpfully. Then he took some white towels from a drawer and tossed it to the woman.

"The hot bath is there..." the raven-haired man gestured to a location. "And your clothes are here..." then he gestured to another direction, which was the drawer where he took out the towels. "After that, meet me upstairs... I've a matter to talk to you..."

"Okay!" mouthed Yukiko. "And... where's Souji-kun?"

"He's going outside, calling others I think... there's no telephone signal in here..."

"Umm... right... I'm going..."

~darkness~

"Ahh..." sighed Yukiko as she immersed herself into the hot bath. She put a small towel onto her head as she let her face submerged into the hot water.

_It is the future you should think about..._

"Amaterasu..." she muttered.

Then she touched her shoulder. The wound wasn't visible anymore, might probably be healed by Souji or Minato. But she still could feel the pain as she touched the injured part.

_Ouch!! That hurt..._

Then she seemed to be thinking.

_Is this what Souji-kun always feels? Dares to withstand such a gruesome pain... I wish I could be braver like him too..._

She sighed again.

~darkness~

She was dressed in her red sweater as she went upstairs, just like what Ryoji wanted her to. As she arrived upstairs, she found Ryoji, seemed to be waiting for her.

"Ah, you're coming at last... come, follow me..."

Ryoji entered a room and Yukiko followed him. They were entering a very large empty room which was white in colour, unlike the other rooms which seemed to be made by woods.

"Take this..." Ryoji tossed a fan to Yukiko. The woman took the thing with quizzical look.

"I see that you've a new technique... and Minato wants me to teach you about how to use the technique effectively..."

"What?!" exclaimed Yukiko, seemingly surprised.

"You know it too... they're targeting you... to escape death, the only way is to become strong just like Souji and Minato... we brought you here to make sure that you'll not be hunted by them anymore..."

"But I... I..."

"I know that technique... Yata-no-Kagami... one of Amaterasu's sacred treasure... if you have a proper training, there's no doubt that you may unleash more and more techniques..." explained Ryoji.

"Really?" said Yukiko with her face brightened.

"Who knows... but it works on Minato... he managed to create a dozen of techniques just in a night... now, let just us give it a try... just fire Agidyne on me..." instructed Ryoji.

"What?! You will hurt if I do that!!" said Yukiko, showing disapproval.

"No, no... don't worry, I'll be fine... just give me a best shot you can make..." said Ryoji, giving encouragement with his usual smug grin.

"Umm... alright..." replied Yukiko hesitantly as she raised her fan. "Thou art I..." a blue card appeared in front of her. "There!!"

With a swipe, she crushed the card with her fan and her Persona, Amaterasu appeared. She fired a heavy fire attack towards Ryoji. But something appeared in front of the man which was an invisible barrier. It reflected the fire attack back to Yukiko.

Yukiko's eyes widened as her fire attack was deflected. She covered her face with her arms as the fire passed through her. She felt nothing but a slight tickle from the passing fire as Amaterasu nullified the attack.

"What the? You know it too?" exclaimed the woman.

"It's a different technique, but acts a same principle just like Yata-no-Kagami... I called this technique Moonless Gown..." explained Ryoji. He tilted his head as the invisible barrier vanished.

"Alright, enough with tutorial session... time for lesson one... use your Yata-no-Kagami to withstand my attacks... make sure to use it precisely, because I may not be easy on you..." the black-haired man spoke with his unusual solemn tone as he gave a battle stance, which resembled Minato's kickboxing stance.

"Alright!! I'll do my best!!" Yukiko also ready to begin. "Persona!!"

~darkness~

_Are you saying that Yukiko-senpai becomes their target as well?_

"That's what I've concluded of, Naoto... if you think that there's other thing about this, feel easy to say it..." said Souji to Naoto through the phone.

_This is weird... first is you, and second is Yukiko-senpai... is she has anything to do with them?_

"I don't know that for sure... but one of them said that they'll stop attacking us and ask us to face Tsukuyomi himself at Midnight Channel..."

_Hmm... let just think that this is a trap... but, really, is they stopping from attacking you?_

"That's what he said..."

_Hmm... alright, I'll go back two days from now... we'll talk about this matter later..._

"Sounds good for me..." the silverette said before the conversation finished. He looked at his cell phone before he sighed. He was in his room. The entrance of the hidden hideout was at his room too.

"It's getting tougher and tougher... I wonder that something will happen afterwards..."

~darkness~

Yukiko was having training with Ryoji for almost one hour. She only managed to use defensive stance with her Yata-no-Kagami activated whereas Ryoji was too fast and strong to be attacked. Yukiko also had difficulty in transferring the position of Yata-no-Kagami when Ryoji used his speed to confuse her.

"Too slow..." commented Ryoji before he grabbed Yukiko's left hand and made an aikido move, pushing the woman onto the white floor.

"Uwahh!!" yelped Yukiko as she fell on the cold white floor. "Owwie... that's hurt..."

"Haha, sorry..." Ryoji helped the woman to stand on her feet. "Let us take a rest..."

"Okay..."

Yukiko sat on the floor whereas Ryoji took a bottle of water and gave it to Yukiko.

"Thanks..." said Yukiko as she received the bottle from Ryoji. "Your Moonless Gown is strong... you might defeat the enemy with one of your eyes closed, don't you?"

"Maybe..." replied Ryoji with a grin, but this time the smile seemed to be forced, as like something was in the man's mind. Yukiko realized it.

"Is something wrong?" asked Yukiko.

"No, not really... but..." he shook his head "I don't like this skill..."

Yukiko frowned as Ryoji said that.

"Why? Is this technique requires too much energy?" asked Yukiko, curious.

"It's not like that, but..." Ryoji's face seemed sad. "I almost killed Aigis with this technique..." images of Moonlight Bridge and Aigis who kneeled on the cold pavement, seemingly helpless and terrified, appeared within his mind.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." said Yukiko apologetically.

"No, that's fine... it's just a drawback for a villain that's becoming an ally for his former nemesis... he'll be hunted by his past memories... and it I'll never unable to escape from it..." said Ryoji with somber tone.

"Ryoji-kun..." Yukiko looked at the man sympathetically.

"And one of my reasons to join Minato is to atone for my past sins, even a Shadow wouldn't escape his remorse... but I can't run away from it, and the thing that I should do is to face it... facing the truth. Even a Shadow would prefer to hide his real self, right?"

"You're not a bad man, I know it... there's nothing to feel remorse..." said Yukiko.

"You'll understand it if you're in my place..." spoke Ryoji, lowering his gaze to the white floor.

Yukiko was silent.

"But still... thanks for hearing me... it's been a while since I've talked about this... I hope Minato wouldn't overhear us..." said Ryoji appreciably before he stood up. "Alright, let us continue our training..."

Pity for Ryoji, Minato was overhearing the conversation silently from outside the room.

"..."

He left the place and went to the kitchen.

"And..." Ryoji looked at Yukiko from up and down before a suspicious smirk appeared on his face. "Don't you feel uncomfortable with that clothes? I think you should change it into something more 'appropriate'..." and Yukiko felt something bad would happen.

Several minutes later...

"Do you think I should wear this?" asked Yukiko hesitantly.

"Of course you should! And it's fit on you..."

Yukiko's face was reddened as grinning Ryoji looked at her. She wore a sport bra and tight shorts like her friend, Chie always had under her skirt.

"I think I should change back..." said Yukiko.

"No no... I think Souji might be happy to see you in those..." said Ryoji.

_He's... he's... he's the worst!! Worst than Yosuke!!_

Pity for Yukiko as Souji entered the room.

"Ryoji-san, I've something to tell you... eh?"

Souji froze on his track as he saw Yukiko in those exposing attire. He took some steps back instinctively as his face reddened.

"Umm... I think I should go now..." Souji gave an excuse.

"Souji-kun!!"

"Err... I think the usual is fine, I guess... sigh..."

~darkness~

Yosh!! Another chapter is unleashed. This chapter might be slightly boring but there you go... read it and you'll understand it. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	15. Pieces of Broken Mask PART 1

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 15: The Pieces of Broken Mask PART 1

Piece 1: An Old Man and Cucumbers

"Sigh... why should I do this laborer's job?"

Sighing, the brunette man with earphones around his neck continued his job, which happened to be mopping the floor. The manager's son let out several groans as he looked at his traitorous companion who seemed to be flirting with some girls.

_Grr... How could he just stand there and do nothing except flirting with those girls and I have to do this job?! Damn bear..._

Yosuke sighed again before he went to the food corner with his mop being dragged on the floor. Then he remembered what had happened during his last duel with that woman.

_Your movement and skill are terribly crude, but as a human, what a way to go..._

"Dammit!!" he continued his tedious job before he saw something bad.

"Where's yer eyes, dammit?!!" a loud, manly voice could be heard. It came from a very muscular man with some piercings on his ears and some scars on his face. The man with his other companions were surrounding a ragged-looked old man in old raincoat and had a very old-looked umbrella in his hand.

"I know I'm old, but my eyesight's still good, ya know?" replied the old man casually, making the hooligans angrier. The eyes of the old man were covered with round black glasses.

"What've you said, old man?!" asked the other punk threateningly.

"And I guess you're deaf now, young buddies..." answered the old man with a smirk. Yosuke felt that something bad would happen.

_Oh shit!! What're the securities doing down there? Allowing those punks to enter this place?!_

"Beat him..." ordered one of the punks. The muscular man and his other companion attacked the old man. But before Yosuke could do anything, the old man took two cucumbers from their tray and used them as weapon.

"What the..." before one of the punks could finish his sentence, a very solid hit connected to his chin which came from one of the cucumbers. Then the old man spun his weapon a.k.a cucumbers like spinning the knives.

_His movement? Is he joking, using those cucumbers as weapon?_

The old man used his momentum from his previous attack to hit the other punk. The poor punk fell onto the floor. Then the old man looked at the remaining punk before he launched himself and pressed the cucumber on the punk's chest.

"If this is a knife, you'll die peon..."

As for that, all those punks scurriedly ran away from the shopping mall. The old man sighed before he saw Yosuke.

"Ah, sorry for that... just cleaning up some mess... good day..."

The old man went out from the food corner. Yosuke who seemed petrified returned to his normal state and went to the place which the battle had happened.

_He used those cucumbers just like knives?_

Then, he detected something wrong.

"He stole those cucumbers?!" he exclaimed furiously.

~darkness~

Piece 2: Serpent's Eyes

"You seem tired, Satonaka..."

"Nah, not really... yawn..."

The brunette policewoman yawned as she slumped herself on the couch. She had just recently returned back at the station after some routine patrols.

"Just have some rest, Satonaka... I'll do the others..." said one of her seniors helpfully.

"Hmm... thanks, Shiori-san..." replied Chie. "Sigh... I wonder why Dojima-san didn't show up until now..."

"I heard he got some business somewhere here... you'll know it soon since Inaba is a very small town..." said the senior.

Chie closed her eyes, trying to remember about her conversation with Souji several hours ago.

_What?! Are they targetting Yukiko as well?!_

_That's what they do..._

_How's she? Is she alright?_

_Luckily, yeah... she's fine now. She's with us, still sleeping, I guess..._

_Phew, thank god... wait, 'us'?_

_Ryoji-san and Minato-san helped us to hide her... so, she'll be fine. I'll tell about this later, take care..._

_Right. Thanks..._

After few minutes, the brunette woman dozed off. As she fell asleep, suddenly she felt something strange. She felt cold around her and she could hear a hissy voice.

_Eighth... come to me... come to me..._

"Who... who are you?"

_Eighth... I've been waiting for you for a long time... I miss you so much, eighth..._

As for that, an image of a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared within her mind.

_I've been waiting for you, my love... you're the eighth..._

"What!!" she sprung out from the couch, making her senior choked.

"Bruagh!! Cough, cough... Satonaka, what the hell are you doing?! You almost give me heart attack!!" said the senior, wiping the spilt coffee with tissue.

"Uhh... sorry... I think I've some sort of nightmare, I guess..." said Chie apologetically.

"Satonaka, take it easy... don't overdo yourself... I think you should have some rest..." said the senior, concerned about his junior's condition.

"Umm... thank you..." said the policewoman, slumping back onto the couch.

_Eighth? What is it all about?_

~darkness~

Piece 3: Strength From the Loss

The white-haired man had some practices at the gym. He was punching a punching bag repeatedly before he stopped for wiping his sweat.

_That might do it..._

Akihiko looked at his palm for some moments before he clenched his fist.

_It seems my Persona ability had grown up all these days... I never thought that I can use Zio without summoning Caesar before... hmm, maybe it acts just the same like Dia... Whatever it is, let just make some tries..._

He concentrated his strength onto his fist before some sparks of electricity appeared on his hand. He winced as he felt something flowing within his left hand but he kept continuing to concentrate his strength.

_The more pain I could feel, the stronger the power I could gather I think... urgh, it's very hard than I thought..._

He tightened his fist as the sparks began to make some disturbing sounds, like the sound of an old radio. He smiled triumphantly as he looked back at the punching bag.

_Alright, it goes nothing!!_

He released the punch onto the punching bag, making the bag bursted off.

_Whoa... I never thought I would do like this..._

Akihiko decided to take some rest as he took a bottle of water from his bag. Then he saw something in his bag, which happened to be an old picture. He took out the picture before a smile formed on his face as he looked on it.

There were three people in the picture. The first was a young boy with white hair who happened to be him. Beside him was another boy who seemed to be in a same age just like him. The dark-brown-haired boy looked at another direction as his hands in his pockets.

"Shinji... you always be the same..." Akihiko muttered. Then, he looked at the last person in the picture. It was a young girl with the hair of the same shade as him. The girl smiled happily with both her hands wrapped around the young Akihiko's neck.

"Miki..."

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the voice of his beloved sister and faithful friend, which he wished to hear after all these years.

_Big bro!!_

_Yo, Aki..._

The white-haired man bit his lip. It was true that he wished to be stronger after both of these important people, perished in front of his very eyes, but he couldn't help to feel bad as he thought that all the things he achieved came from his loss.

"Shinji... you know, he's back to us again... but, I wish you're here too, helping us... I know you'll help us a lot if you're here..."

Another smile formed again on the white-haired man's face.

~darkness~

Piece 4: Justice

The brunette boy walked around the strip mall after he felt that he had nothing to do during the holiday. He took a glance at some people at the place.

"Sigh... why should this place always be crowded at this time?..." sighed Ken before he walked at another place. Then he saw something or rather someone.

"Aya?"

A blonde girl was surrounded by some street punks. The girl seemed terrified. The punks seemed to threaten her.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" said the girl, Aya. She was one of Ken's dorm mates. One of the punks gripped the girl's wrist.

"Just shut up already!!" threatened the punk.

Without wasting any time, Ken dashed forward and landed a solid kick at the back of of the punk who was holding Aya. Then, the brunette boy simultaneously gave some blows and punches at other punks, making them slumped onto the pavement floor.

"Ken-kun!!" Aya reached the boy.

"What the hell... you're... you're... Amada Ken?" asked one of the beaten punks as he tried to pick himself up.

"Yes... and you shall get some more if those punches can't give you sense to run away..." replied Ken eerily as he clenched his fist.

As for that, all the punks ran away from Ken.

"Hmph... justice is just being served..." he muttered before he looked at the blonde girl.

"Thanks, Ken-kun... I don't know what I should do without you..." thanked Aya, holding the brunette's hand, making his face blushed.

"Emm... it's nothing... I'm just... helping..."replied Ken sheepishly with one of his hand behind his head. Aya chuckled slightly.

"Anyway... why did they run away from you after they heard your name? Gasp, don't tell me you're involved in street gang..."

"No way!! You know, I'm one of Student Council's members, so dealing with those craps is something that I do everyday..." said Ken. "Moreover, they afraid of me because I'm strong..."

"Really?" asked Aya, didn't believe what Ken had said.

"Of course I am... you see it too, don't you?"

"Nah... I think you're just becoming obsessed with those Feathermen whatever it is..."

"Hell no!!"

Aya chuckled "I'm just kidding... anyway, would you accompany me for today?"

Ken smiled as he replied "As you wish, milady..."

~darkness~

Piece 5: The Man Who Knows

Yukiko was still practicing with Ryoji on how to control her Yata-no-Kagami. She jumped backward before she summoned Amaterasu and casted Agidyne. Ryoji just evaded the fire with a side step before he dashed forward with such an impossible speed that a mere human could not reach. He appeared behind Yukiko and readied to push the woman onto the floor.

But Yukiko seemed to expect it as she turned the position of her Yata-no-Kagami to her back, making Ryoji's hand sprung back onto him. Ryoji jumped backwards as he felt the pushing force from Yukiko's barrier.

"You're such a quick learner, Yukiko... it seems that you've adapted yourself in changing the position of your barrier... okay, let's take some rest..."

As for that, Yukiko sat on the floor whereas Ryoji took two bottles of water and gave one to Yukiko.

"Thanks, Ryoji-kun... emm..." the woman seemed to be thinking "Can I ask you something?"

"Feel free..." replied Ryoji with a simple reply.

"Umm... why you always beside Minato-san? Is he the one who you care a lot?" asked Yukiko.

"Truthfully, yes... let just say that I was indebted to him for what I've done to him before... you know, taking away his family, making his life miserable, becoming his enemy and so on... let just say that I'm atoning for my past sins..." contrary for what he had talked, his tone remained cheerful, but Yukiko knew that Ryoji forced himself to smile while he's talking about it.

"Atoning? Why should you do that? I believe that he had forgiven you for a long time ago..." said Yukiko.

Ryoji chuckled before he spoke again "You'll never understand it... sometimes, a man needs more than forgiveness... making his life miserable just one of the examples for what I've done to him... I don't think the sentence 'I'm sorry' will work..."

"But, a man also needs forgiveness than anything else if they had done something bad to another... sigh, why men always like that?"

Ryoji smiled before he patted the woman's head.

'You're naive girl... there's more for you to learn... you know, Minato will understand others' feeling, but no one will understand him better except me..."

Then he stood up "Alright, let's continue our practice... and, I've something for you..." a suspicious smirk formed on his face before he took out something from his pockets. The things were two-piece red bikini, laced with glittering silver beads.

"Ryoji-kun!! Stop being perverted already!!" shrieked Yukiko, embarrassed and her face became red. She looked at the direction of the door, worrying that Souji would enter anytime just like last time.

"You don't like this? I think you'll love this..." Ryoji took out another red and black two-piece bikini with pictures of heart on it. "I'm sure that Souji would like to look at you with this on..."

"Ryoji-kun!!"

~darkness~

Piece 6: Lose

"Hachiu!!" sneezed the bluenette in the kitchen. He felt that someone had said his name.

"Hmm... I think it might work... some fish balls, carrots, onions, etc etc... I guess it would be better than Fuuka's..." Minato muttered to himself. Then he stared at his cleaver for some moments before he took it and started cutting.

"Cut cut cut..." he chanted to himself as he cut the vegetable. Suddenly, both vegetable and cleaver alike fell onto floor as he felt something which was really painful on his chest.

_Urgh!! No way!!_

Then, he coughed several times. He closed his mouth with his hand before he looked at his palm. One of his eyebrows rose as he saw blood on his pale palm. He went to the sink and washed the blood. As he washed his hands, he sighed.

_I've no much time left... I hope it will come sooner..._

Minato closed his eyes.

_Eventually, whoever win, I'll be the one who lose..._

~darkness~

Yeah, another chapter updated. Sorry for some mistakes I've done in previous chapter. You know, nobody's perfect. As usual, I don't like to explain about this chapter and this is part one, part two will come soon. As usual also, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	16. Pieces of Broken Mask PART 2

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 13: Pieces of Broken Mask PART 2

Piece 7: First Meeting

"Are you sure, Rise?"

"Of course! I'm sorry, but if I don't show up at that time, my friends would be mad to me..." said Rise to her manager.

"Well... alright..."

"Thank you!!" the red-haired idol bowed appreciably before she went out of her manager's office. Then she walked out from the building and went to the direction of her flat.

_Sigh... I wish I were Yukiko-senpai who manages to attract Souji-senpai..._

It was true that she was jealous to Yukiko because she managed to be the one who Souji truly loves instead of her. It was also a truth if Souji seemed to care about her, but she wished that Souji would know that she loves him too.

_Why should I be so jealous?! But... it is natural, right?_

As she walked to her direction, she didn't realize there's someone who walked to the opposite direction. Because she was deep in her thought, she bumped to the man. Both of them fell on the pavement.

"Uhh... sorry..." whined Rise as she picked herself up. Then she realized that the man's spectacles had fallen on the ground too.

"So-Sorry, miss... but would you mind to help me to pick my glasses?" asked the white-haired man in white suit. Rise crouched and picked the glasses before she handed it to the man.

"Phew... finally... umm, sorry, I didn't saw you in front of me that time... so sorry..." the white-haired man bowed apologetically to Rise. Then he looked at the idol's face "Are you Risette? Or should I say Kujikawa Rise?"

"Umm, yeah... I'm sorry too... I didn't look in front of me that time..." Rise helped the man to stand on his feet. Then the man with the snow-colored hair dusted his white suit.

"Excuse me, mister... it seems that I've seen you somewhere, but I don't really remember where..." said the red-haired idol as she observed the man's face.

"Yeah, I've met you before, during your concert..." answered the man with a kind smile; same like Souji would give to her.

"Oh..." then she looked at her watch "Oh, I should get back for now... goodbye, umm... what's your name?"

"Just call me Raiga..."

"Okay, goodbye, Raiga-san, I hope we'll meet again..."

"Yeah..." then Rise left. "We'll meet again sometimes, Vessel of Kanzeon..."

~darkness~

Piece 8: Walking Away

She found herself in an alien place. She looked around and found nothing but emptiness and whiteness. Then she spotted someone, someone she loves a lot.

_Take care... Aigis..._

The fleeting yet soothing voice seemed to pierce her heart as the man turned back and walked away.

"No... don't go... please... come back!!" she pleaded.

She tried to catch him by running to him, but the further she ran, the smaller the image of the man that she tried to catch.

"No... Please..."

She slumped on the white floor as she could not run anymore. Normally, she wouldn't feel difficult to run, but this time, she felt that her feet were as heavy as leads. She sobbed as she raised her gaze to the fleeting image of the blue-haired man.

"Minato, don't go!!"

"Aigis!!"

Suddenly, she found herself in a futon and she saw a panicked Yukari beside her. Aigis seemed terrified and tears rolled on her cheeks.

"Yukari... he's... he's..." sobbed the blonde android as she wiped her tears with her yukata's sleeve. Yukari gave the gynoid a comforting hug.

"Hush... there there... don't worry, it's just a dream..." the brunette woman whispered to Aigis with a comforting voice.

"I saw... Minato... he's walking away from me..." said Aigis, half-choked.

Yukari bit her upper lip as Aigis said the name of a man she loves. After some times of thinking, she tightened her hug to the android.

"Don't worry that much... I'm sure that he'll be okay... he also said that he will always beside us, right?" Yukari gave Aigis a kind smile as she wiped the blonde android's tears with her finger.

Aigis seemed to stop crying as she began to smile too. She slid herself back into her futon and said "Sorry for that... I wish I could be strong as you, Yukari-san..."

"It's nothing... just sleep. If you dream about that thing again, I'm always beside you, Aigis..." the brunette woman spoke as she patted Aigis' head.

"Umm... thanks, Yukari-san..."

After some moments, Aigis seemed to be asleep whereas Yukari was lying beside her. Yukari looked at the gynoid's innocent face.

_Sigh... that's weird. Although we like a same person, we still manage to get along just fine..._

Then a smile curved on her face.

_Whatever, it's up to him to decide... moreover, it would be nice to have a cute little sister like her..._

~darkness~

Piece 9: Moon, Night and Darkness

The sleuth slumped on her chair as she put a stack of documents containing some copies of Kojiki and other ancient writings on her table. They might give her some clues about Tsukuyomi's true intention.

"Something that humanity had sought since their birth? If it's correct, his intention might be the same like Izanami... but how?"

Naoto took off her cap and put it on her table as she ruffled her dark-blue hair, something that she would rarely do.

"Let just say... I'm Tsukuyomi... I wish to destroy humanity from the world, but how? Not by the fog..."

Then she opened the document.

"Tsukuyomi... the Moon Deity... moon..."

The image of a full moon appeared within her mind.

"Something that humanity had sought since their birth? Is that their... demise? Moon appears during night... which mean..."

Naoto smirked triumphantly. It's like she had found something interesting.

"Moon... night... darkness... he wants to use humanity's hidden darkness to purge them... something like what Izanami had done before, wishing humanity to be unable to see the truth by shrouding them with fog... but I wonder... how?"

She looked at her computer screen before she switched on the computer and began to search through internet.

_Tsukuyomi wished to purge the humanity from the world by using the humanity's hidden darkness itself... but how? He wouldn't just create another dimension to unleash the darkness like Izanami did with Midnight Channel... fufufufufu, it's getting interesting..._

~darkness~

Piece 10: Spring of Love

The red-headed woman in white gothic-lolita dress sat on a stool uneasily in her Cosplay Cafe with a piece of white paper in her hand. She repeatedly looked at the direction of the front door whether her husband might come in any minute.

Then she looked at the clock. It had been 10 o'clock in the night but her beloved husband seemed to not return yet. She looked like a hen that was ready to lay her eggs as she continued to wait her husband's arrival.

_I love you, Chidori..._

A slight smile curved on her lips as she remembered those sentences, which always being said by her husband on occasions. She might have heard those sentences which came from the man's mouth for so many times yet she seemed to be not bored by it.

She stood up and walked to the direction of the door and opened it. She looked outside and found nobody who resembled her husband. She sighed before she closed the door.

She looked at the paper again before she smiled. She would expect her husband's reaction if she showed the paper to him. She returned to her stool and sat on it.

Sometimes, she would feel something strange if she was beside her husband. It's like that she would feel refreshed and full of strength. Sometimes also, she would see when her husband cut himself when he helped her cooking; his wound would vanish after some moments. When she asked about it, the man would answer _'It's because of your love, Chidori...'_

The woman chuckled before she sighed. It was very late already but her husband seemed to not arrive, some thoughts began to play within her mind. What if her husband was hit by a car in an accident? She began to worry and terrified as she rushed to the door. As she placed her hand on the handle, suddenly the door was opened by someone who was outside.

"Chidori? Why you look so pale? Are you sick?"

Chidori's eyes widened as she recognized the voice, which happened to be owned by no other than her beloved husband. She launched herself to the man and hugged him.

"You... you make me worry..." said Chidori with trembled voice. Junpei who was bemused by his wife's sudden action, chuckled as he seemed to understand what had happened. He stroked the woman's scarlet stresses tenderly as he smiled.

"Sorry, I'm late... I've to help an old folk to cross the road and give some food for a stray cat..." the man with baseball cap said apologetically. "Anyway, I'm home... Chidori..."

Chidori gave her husband a smile before her face blushed as she looked at the paper in her hand. Slowly, she handed the paper to Junpei.

"I went to hospital this morning and... just look at it..." said the woman sheepishly.

Junpei read the writings on the paper before his eyes widened. A wide smile formed on his face before he cheered happily and tearfully.

"It has been two months already... so... umm... well, you know..." Chidori continued to say as her face became reddened even further. The she yelped as Junpei hugged her.

"I'll be a father!! I'll be a father!!" cheered Junpei, seemingly overjoyed as his wife smiled shyly. As Junpei seemed to be recovered from his overjoyed state, he looked at his wife's face before he kissed the woman's forehead.

"I'm really happy to hear that... I think we should tell others, right?" said Junpei.

"I think we should tell other girls first..." interjected Chidori.

"Haha... you're right..." Junpei gray orbs met Chidori dark eyes. The woman felt something strange yet comforting from the man's gaze.

"Anyway..." the man smiled "I love you, Chidori..."

~darkness~

Chapter 11: Want To Be Close

The green-haired nurse, Fuuka, who recently returned from her work shift, switched on her laptop and connected it to the internet. It had been some weeks since she last looked at her computer's monitor. She opened her e-mail and smiled as she found that she got a mail from her friend, Natsuki.

She read the mail before she clicked to reply the message. She typed the reply before she sent it to Natsuki. Then she continued to surf the Internet.

_It has been a while since I touched this computer... hmm... I wonder what Minato-kun will do this time?_

Suddenly, she seemed to realize what she was thinking and she shook her head frantically.

_Noo!!! What am I thinking?! There's no reason for Minato-kun to like me!! But..._

She remembered seven years ago when she was found by the group when she was lost in Tartarus. She still remembered the young man's piercing yet soft gaze when he crouched in front of her and asked her _'Are you alright?'_

She sighed. She knew she was nothing compared to other girls. She wasn't popular like Yukari or wasn't attracting and intelligent like Mitsuru or wasn't cute like Aigis, but she hoped that Minato would look at her more.

She always glad to lend some helps to the man during battle, the time when Minato might need some analytical supports but she wished to give more help to him. Since he had returned, he wished to try her best to give a best support to the man.

_I know I can't help that much, but I'll try my best!!_

She also knew that Yukari and Aigis love Minato. Just standing among them would give her some sense of inferiority because she felt she was nothing compared to them.

_It's up to Minato-kun to decide... whoever he prefer, I'll be happy for him..._

Then, she looked at the screen of her laptop. The wallpaper was their picture when they thought they have get rid of Dark Hour. Her eyes focused on the bluenette in the picture.

_I want to be close to him... I wish I could tell him my feeling... but how?_

~darkness~

Piece 12: A Tour Into Hell

The man dound himself in a very dark place. He looked around and found nothing resembled any place he knew. The only thing he saw was a faint figure that sat itself casually on a majestic throne.

_Tatsumi Kanji..._

"Wha... what the hell are you?!" Kanji shouted.

_What the hell? Fufufufu... it's my pleasure to hear that word 'hell'... to be truth, you're located in hell right now..._

"What?!" exclaimed the man in shock.

_Hahahaha... don't be afraid, although this is Hell, you're just merely inside your dream... I know you wish for greater power, right?_

"Well... that's..." Kanji seemed to be hesitated.

_Don't be afraid, young man... strength is something that a real man sought for... there's no need for you to feel bad..._

"Err... who are you exactly?" asked Kanji.

_Let just say... a demon king is fascinated to you, mere mortal... I am the ruler of the hell..._

The figure stood up from his throne.

_I am..._

The figure opened its eyes, revealing two crimson glowing orbs.

_Rokuten Maoh..._

~darkness~

Piece 13: The World

Seta Souji was sitting on a metal chair as Margaret searched for something in her tome. Then, she took out a blue card from one page of her tome.

"I've prepared this to you, Souji-san... I know you'll need this someday..." the woman spoke as she tossed the card. The silverette caught it as the card slowly descended onto him.

Souji stared on the empty card before he crushed it. As he crushed it, the sound of broken glasses rang within the place and an ethereal figure appeared. It dressed in metallic white yakuza suit with some golden buttons on its torso and armed with a silver naginata with a golden ring around its handle. The Persona looked at its summoner, as like they had communicated to each other before it nodded curtly.

"Izanagi-no-Okami, the Persona of World Arcana... he represents the bonds that you have made with others... you used him when you defeated Izanami-no-Okami by compressed force of Myriad Truth... I'm sure you'll use him again to face the new threat that will come to you..."

"Thank you, Margaret..." thanked Souji as the god in Shinto mythology vanished. The silverette stood up and walked to the direction of the door.

"It's the only thing that I could do to help you... I'm sorry for not being so helpful..." Margaret said with a faint tone of reservation.

"It's okay... you've helped me so much already..." said Souji kindly as he smiled to the woman. Then he placed his hand on the handle of the door before he opened it.

_The bonds that have been nurtured by communicating with others... with the strength I've achieved from these bonds, I'll protect those who I cherish the most..._

~darkness~

Phew, another chapter updated. I've been working for my newest project, Aigis and The Wonderland and I'll upload the story if it finishes. It takes some times for the story to be finished so just wait and see. And, about this chapter, it is the part two of Pieces of Broken Mask. As you can see, there's no chapter about Teddie, Koromaru and Mitsuru, right? About them, I'll make their own exclusive chapters and I also have no idea about their story in this chapter. And, I wish to ask readers' opinions about what should the girls (SEES and Investigation Squad) wear if they're about to participate a cosplay competition? And I also want your opinion about which Piece is the best in Pieces of Broken Mask... (for me, the best if Spring of Love). That's all. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	17. Cross My Heart PART 1

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 17: Cross My Heart PART 1

It was after school during that time. The brunette boy who dressed in his winter Gekkoukan high school uniform, was standing in front of infirmary door. His bag was hung on his shoulder and one of the contents of his bag was his Evoker.

He rapped the door several times before he opened it. As he entered the room, some kind of unpleasant smell pierced his nostrils. He looked at the only person inside the room who was standing in front of a setup of apparatus which contained some kind of weird-colored liquid that released some kind of strange-colored soot.

"Edogawa-sensei... excuse me for intruding..." the young brunette teenager spoke to the male nurse-teacher. Edogawa turned his head towards the youngster.

"Ahh... Amada-kun... what brings you here? Do you want to try my new concoction?" asked the teacher with his usual smug smirk.

Ken took a glance towards the suspicious steamy liquid inside the beakers on the table and gulped. He shook his head and said "No, I've something to ask you... or rather, a demand..."

Edogawa frowned as Ken said that. Then the teacher said "A demand? What do you mean by that?"

"I wish there's nobody heard us..." said Ken. The teacher was thinking for some moments before he nodded. He went to the door and locked it.

"So? What's the demand about?" asked the teacher. "And... please, have a seat..." he continued as he took out a stool.

"Actually, this is my friend's demand, and he asked me to meet you for his behalf..." Ken started.

"Well, if he's a friend of yours, why don't he himself come to me and ask about the demand to me by himself?" Edogawa replied the answer with another question.

"Umm... because, he can't... he said that he doesn't have his right to come to you..."

Edogawa raised his eyebrow as he detected something weird in Ken's tone. He put his finger under his chin, trying to look fascinated.

"What do you mean by that?" the teacher asked.

"Do you ever know about Arisato Minato?"

Edogawa seemed shocked by Ken's question. Then he answered "That good young man seven years ago... he's my favorite pupil. It's a pity to have him died in such a young age... he'll make a great magician if he grows up well..." the bespectacled teacher's face seemed sad when he mentioned his favorite student's name.

"The truth is... he's still alive..."

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"I know you wouldn't believe it... but I have something that make you believe it..." he took out a stack of files with Kirijo Corporation's logo emblazoned on it and put them on the table.

"It all started seven years ago..."

~darkness~

At the Iwatodai Dormitory, a blonde girl sat on a couch whereas a black-haired boy watched the television.

"Hey... where's Ken?" then a dark-brown haired girl spoke after she returned and found nobody resembling to the brunette boy.

"I dunno... he's might probably goofing around..." answered the only male at that place.

"He won't do that, Hajime... unless if he had nothing to work on like you..." the blonde girl spoke.

"Hey!! I resent that!!" bellowed the boy, Hajime.

"Haha... don't jinx him, Aya... but really, where'd he gone to?"

"I don't know, Haruka... he even went to somewhere for almost a week without telling us where he had gone... sigh..." Aya sighed.

"Yeah... it seems that he's becoming distant from us..." Haruka nodded.

~darkness~

Edogawa couldn't believe what he had read, yet he still read those documents which belong to Kirijo Corporation. Ken who was standing nearby just leaned himself on the wall.

"Is it true?" it was the teacher's first question after finished his reading.

"Yes... it is nothing but the truth... all about what it had on, Dark Hour, Shadows, Tartarus, The Fall and Persona... all of them are true..." replied Ken.

"I never thought that The Fall seven years ago was true... but, is this really the truth?"

Ken smirked as Edogawa still didn't fully believe him.

"I'll show you this... the truth..." he reached a shiny metallic object from his bag, which happened to be his Evoker. The teacher gasped as Ken put the gun-like device on his temple.

"Wait! What are you..."

Before he could stop him, Ken shot himself on his temple and the sound of broken glass rang in the infirmary room. Then, an ethereal being which was red in color and having a mechanical appearance appeared above the brunette.

"What the?!"

"This is what we call as... Persona... the thing that you have read from the documents..." Ken helpfully explained. Then, Kala Nemi vanished.

"So... what happened to The Fall?"

"We managed to make it stopped once in for all, but with a cost... after we fought Nyx Avatar, he still managed to summon Nyx... due to Nyx's unbelievable strength, we were subdued... but, our leader, Arisato Minato managed to stand on his feet and fought Nyx, stopping it once and for all with his life as the cost... he used his life to prevent humanity to reach Nyx..."

"Wait, you did say you fought Nyx at 31 January 2010, right? But he's still alive after that until graduation day..."

"It's because of our oath... he probably didn't want to die until the oath had been fulfilled... but put those things aside... the main point of our discussion is this... he recently returned to our world because of an approaching danger and he needs you for some assistances..." said the brunette boy.

"My assistance? I mean... What can I do?" said the bemused teacher.

"He knows that you've vast knowledge about ancient legends and mythologies... Edogawa-sensei... he wishes your help in this matter..." explained Ken.

"Well... I..."

"I know you'll be interested by these things... these magic and miraculous things... I presume that you'll never let it go just like that..."

Edogawa was silent.

"Okay... this is my number..." Ken handed the middle-aged man a piece of small paper "Just call me if you've decided... good day..."

Ken opened the infirmary's room and walked out, leaving the male nurse-teacher alone.

~darkness~

"Ah, welcome back, Ken-kun..." greeted Aya as Ken stepped into the dormitory. The blonde girl was reading a fashion magazine whereas Haruka was watching the television.

"I'm back..." said Ken with a smile. Then he looked around as he found nothing resembling his fellow male dorm mate at the lounge. "Where's Hajime?"

"He's going to Paulownia Mall... messing around there I think..." said Haruka, didn't leave her eyes from the television screen.

"Oh... and, I think I don't want to eat dinner tonight... I want to stay in my room... see you soon..." said Ken before he climbed the stairs and went to the second floor, where his room was located.

"Sigh... why he always like that?" sighed Aya, putting her magazine on the table.

"Just let him be... I think he's tired..." said Haruka.

"I hope..."

~darkness~

"Ahh!! Enough with this already!! You told me that we can't go out and get rid at any of them?!!" bellowed the red-haired adjutant furiously as he pointed his finger angrily to his older white-haired sibling who just leaned himself on the wall.

"Tch!! You're getting childish and more childish, fiery little lizard brat..." said Kazematsuri, seemingly annoyed by her red-haired sibling's action.

"Shaddap, Kaze!! You're the one who was dragged out by Raiga, don't you?!" Homura shot back, making the pink-haired woman's forehead twitched.

"Enough already!! We siblings shouldn't be fighting!!" protested Sui, who was standing beside Raiga before she turned her head to the white-haired man "Brother... say something to them!!"

Raiga sighed before he snapped his fingers, making both Homura and Kazematsuri froze in their tracks. It's like they've sensed the change of mood of the white-haired man.

"I am the second in command after Tsukuyomi-sama... if you two still keep bickering..." he clenched his fist "... you know what I'll do, right?" sparks of electricity was being emitted by his fist. The red-haired man and pink-haired woman gulped.

"So, what will we do?" asked Homura.

"Just sit back and relax... you should get more calcium, it's good for someone who was bad-tempered..." said Raiga, his unusual serious feature reverted to his usual not-serious self "Maybe a bottle of milk will do..." he took out a bottle of fresh milk from his coat.

"Stop joking around!! Who would drink such a shit?!!" yelled Homura angrily.

"A human would drink it... ah, you're just a lizard brat, don't you? Maybe I should give it to Sui-chan..." he handed the bottle of milk to the young girl beside him.

"Stop calling me Sui-chan!!" protested the turquoise-haired girl as her face blushed. Raiga just chuckled mischiveously before Sui seized the bottle and started to drink it, as like she loves it very much. Kazematsuri just snorted as she looked at her siblings' antics.

_Why should he be our leader? Someone who has soft fond to human... it cannot be accepted!!_

Kazematsuri gave Raiga a dirty look.

"My my... it's quite lively here..." then a cloaked man emerged from the shade.

"Welcome back, Tsukuyomi-sama..." greeted Raiga politely, turning his attention from the milk-drinking woman to the newcomer. He saw something in their master's hand.

"It's been a while... I've gathered the information about our enemies... you probably right, Raiga... attacking them in the time being wouldn't be a wise decision it seems..." spoke Tsukuyomi before he sat himself on his majestic moon-carved throne.

"Thank you for your consideration, Tsukuyomi-sama..." Raiga bowed politely. Tsukuyomi handed the thing in his hand that was a document to Homura. The red-haired one read the document until he sensed something that attracting him.

"Amada Ken... 17 years old, spear-user... currently studying at Gekkoukan High School that located in Tatsumi Port Island and living at Iwatodai Dormitory... he sounds good for a perfect opponent I guess..." said the red-haired man as he smirked.

"Homura..." hissed Raiga, seemed to know what was in the Adjutant of Fire's mind.

"He had nothing to do with our targets, right? I'm going..."

"Feel free..." said Tsukuyomi.

Homura smirked before he vanished.

"Tsukuyomi-sama! What're you thinking?!" Raiga looked at his master's face.

"It's just a side dishes for us... furthermore, I might want to see something from him..." his crimson eyes fixated to the picture of a brunette boy in the document.

"I would like to see how strong the Justice is..." the cloaked man continued with a smirk.

~darkness~

Aya went out at night to go to her friend's house because she wanted to borrow her friend's notebook. It's not like she didn't want to borrow Ken's, but since Ken seemingly tired, she didn't want to bother him.

"Sigh... why men always being so dense?" sighed the blonde girl as she looked at the night sky.

She continued to walk through the dark road, without realizing that there was someone's following her. Before she could know it, a pair of two strong arms grasped her body from behind before a small cloth with the scent of chloroform was put on her face.

"Don't worry... I'll never hurt you, young fair lady... I just want to meet your friend and it seems this is the only way I can do..." she could hear a whispery voice of a man behind her. She felt her head became heavier and her vision blurred.

_Ken-kun... help me..._

~darkness~

"What the!!" suddenly the brunette boy felt something which bolted him up from his bed. He panted heavily for several times as he heard a faint voice.

"Aya-san... she's in danger!!" Ken reached his cupboard and opened it. He took out his cross-spear before he opened his window. He stepped on the frame as he put his Evoker on his temple and shouted "Persona!!"

An ethereal being, Kala Nemi appeared and Ken jumped on the big-mechanical Persona's body. The Persona spun in air before he launched himself onto ground. Ken jumped on the ground, not making any noise that would wake his sleeping dorm mates.

_Aya-san!! Don't worry, I'll save you!!_

The brunette boy ran through the dark road, following his Persona instinct. There's no doubt that among all Persona-users, he was the one with pure talent, besides Minato.

"Are you searching for this?"

Ken startled as he heard the familiar voice. He turned around and saw a red-haired man in sport jacket with an unconscious blonde girl, tied by ropes.

"You!!" Ken readied himself for attacking the man. "What have you done to Aya?!"

"I've done nothing... I'm just... making her sleeps... my target is you, Ken Amada. I know you'll come if I kidnap her..." said Homura, smirked.

"You're filthy son of a bitch!! How dare you lay your filthy hands on her!!" yelled Ken angrily before he set himself with his usual fighting stance.

"Hehehe... that's what I'm waiting for... let's get it started!!"

~darkness~

Wahahaha!! Another chapter updated!! This story is about Ken who will achieve his new power. For your information, most characters might be given new powers (as well as Souji and Minato) since they're fighting the god. Yukiko and Akihiko (remember he used his Zio in his hand) had been given new power (and Ken would be the next). After Ken, I would plan for other characters like Yosuke, Chie, Kanji, and Souji (first try) before I go for Naoto, Aigis, and the last, Minato. I still don't know about what should I do to Mitsuru, Teddie, Koromaru and Yukari but it is affirmative that I wouldn't give Junpei a new power and give him a good storyline instead. That's all, sigh, I'm getting busier and busier because I have to study... read and review...

Ah, I'm forgotten to mention that I'll make a double update this time...

Albireo Imma


	18. Cross My Heart PART 2

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 18: Cross My Heart PART 2

Two figures were seen to be fighting each other at the dark road. Both of them seemed to show their unfathomable proficiency with their fighting style and skill as they continued their battle.

"Ahah!! This is what I like!!" exclaimed Homura with a grin. He changed both his hands into two gigantic hammers and swung those oversized weapons to the brunette boy. Ken just took some steps behind as he evaded those strikes.

"Kala Nemi!!" Ken shot his temple and summoned Kala Nemi of Justice Arcana. The mechanical Persona raised his pointy hand and swung it downwards; producing a sparkling white trail and a white projectile was fired onto Homura. The fire-wielder shadow-like man withstood the attack with his hand.

"Not bad, kid..." commented Homura as he looked at his slightly wounded hand. "This time, my turn... Hell Bees!!"

Suddenly, Ken was engulfed by a swarm of fiery bees. The brunette boy was startled by the sudden attack.

"Tch!!" Ken spun his cross-spear around, hitting some nearby fire-bees. As his spear touched the insect-like creatures, they suddenly bursted, send the boy behind. Ken stabbed his spear onto the ground, preventing him from being sent back any further.

"It burns me..." said Ken as he took off his burned jacket. "Anyway, I'll finish it now... get ready, Homura!!"

"Go on..." smirked the red-haired man.

~darkness~

"Are you sure it is wise to let Homura go around and fight that boy? I have a feeling that he'll lose..." said Raiga to Tsukuyomi.

"That's correct... there's no doubt that Homura will lose..." said Tsukuyomi, closing his crimson eyes.

"It might because of his cocky nature I think..." white-haired adjutant sighed.

"It has nothing to do with overconfidence, Adjutant of Thunder... he'll lose because of the difference of strength..."

"What?"

"Amada Ken... he's among those who has pure talent... besides Seta Souji and Arisato Minato... his strength and power are driven by his natural fighter's instinct... sometimes, a person with hidden talent needs something to trigger his strength and in this case, Justice..."

"Justice?" Raiga seemed confused.

Tsukuyomi smirked as he looked at Ken's photo.

"Yes, Justice... that's the reason why he should win..."

~darkness~

"Vile Assault!!"

Ken released another attack by Kala Nemi towards Homura. This time, the downwards attack managed to injure the red-haired man's shoulder. He dashed forward and slashed Homura's chest with his spear.

"Ziodyne!!"

This time, Ken took some steps aback and summoned his Persona, casting a ray of electricity towards Homura. The brunette boy panted as he clutched his injured torso, which might be wounded by Homura's sword hand.

"How interesting..." suddenly the red-haired man emerged from the dust and debris as he clapped his hands. There's no visible wounds could be seen.

"Crap!!" Ken readied himself for another attack. As he began to dash towards the man, he heard a voice.

"Ken-kun..."

The brunette boy's eyes widened as he heard that weak female voice, which was owned by not other than Aya. The blonde girl seemed to have seen the fight.

"Aya?"

"Don't look at other place, kid..."

Suddenly, Ken felt something had pierced through his stomach and he saw a black blade stabbed the lower part of his torso. In front of him was Homura, smiling triumphantly. Then some kind of hot liquid gushed out from Ken's mouth, which happened to be his blood.

"This is your weakness, Amada Ken..." whispered Homura as he pulled out his black sword from Ken's stomach. "A fatal weakness for a human, a feeling..."

"Ken-kun!!" cried Aya as she saw what had happened to Ken.

"A-Aya..." all Ken could see was the face of crying Aya, before his vision blurred and then darkened.

_I-I'm sorry..._

~darkness~

"It seems that Amada Ken was defeated..." said Raiga.

"Hmm... that was not I've expected... maybe I was wrong..." mused Tsukuyomi as he rubbed his chin.

"You're never good in lying, Tsukuyomi-sama... I know that's not you've thinking of..." said Raiga, half-smirking.

"Haha... you're clever... anyway, let just see it through the end..."

~darkness~

_Ken..._

The brunette boy opened his eyes and found himself at a place that he knew very much. The place, which happened to be the back alley near Tatsumi Port Island's Station, where his mother was murdered in a certain incident and also, the killing of his mother's killer, Shinjiro.

"Why am I here? I'm supposed to be at that place, not here..."

_This place is a reflection from the remnants of your memories... which reflects from the place that has a large significance to you, Amada Ken..._

"What? That voice?"

Then a figure emerged from a shade place, which happened to be a tall man with brown hair, dressed in brown coat and long black trousers. There was a snow cap on the man's head. The man smiled slightly as he went to Ken.

"Sh-Shinjiro-san!!"

"Long time no see, Ken..." greeted the man casually. "You've grown up well..."

"You're... you're alive!!" exclaimed Ken, overjoyed.

Although the man was still smiling, just like what he had on himself during his final moment, he shook his head.

"I'm not, Ken... I'm also just a reflection of him... in reality; I was dead... and... why're you here?"

Ken remembered what had happened before. He was fighting with Homura, being stabbed on his stomach, being saw by Aya, and looking the crying face of the girl.

"Am I... dead?" asked Ken.

"It's up to you, Ken... to decide whether you live or don't..." replied Shinjiro.

"So... am I alive?"

Shinjiro smiled as he touched both Ken's shoulders with his hands.

"Listen, Ken... you have your reasons to fight, right? So, be a man and go through it!!"

Ken was stupefied.

"I know there's someone who you care a lot... now, go!!"

"But, but..."

"Just believe in your heart... let your heart drives you through the end..." said Shinjiro with his eyes piercing the boy's.

"Shinjiro-san..."

"Don't be someone who had no reason, like me... there's no option for a person to quit if he had his own reason..." then, Shinjiro's body glowed and scattered into million golden particles, which surrounded Ken. As a swarm of particles engulfed the boy, he felt unusual warmth around him.

_And... send my regard to Aki..._

"Right... thanks, Shinjiro-san..." nodded Ken, smiling before he closed his eyes and his body was fully surrounded by the golden particles.

~darkness~

"What have you done to Ken-kun?" cried Aya to the red-haired man. The man sighed before he pointed his sharp hand to the girl's forehead.

"You have no use anymore... now, you can follow him..." said Homura with his evil smirk.

Aya sobbed as the sharp blade touched her forehead. She took a slight glance to Ken's unmoved body.

"Ken-kun!! Help me!!"

Suddenly, Ken's hand moved and tightly gripped his spear. He pushed the ground and made himself stood on his two feet. As for that, some kind of yellow aura was emitted from Ken's body before his wound gone. His brown eyes turned to glowing blue. He gritted his teeth as he saw Homura was trying to harm Aya.

"Don't ever put your filthy hand to her, you son of a bitch!!" shouted Ken angrily before he dashed forward, continuing their halted battle.

"What the?" Homura was surprised by Ken's sudden change in battle style. This time, the boy's movement was really fast, too fast than before. Two blue trails were left from both Ken's eyes as the boy moved.

"Kala Nemi!!" shouted Ken as he pulled the trigger, summoning his Persona, Kala Nemi.

"Tch! A same trick..." said Homura as he readied himself from Ken's attack. However, the Persona didn't attack, but instead was standing in front of his summoner, without moving. Suddenly, some runic symbols were formed on the ground where Homura wa standing, forming a runic circlet. Then, Ken rose himself from the ground, making himself floating in midair, much to Homura and Aya's surprise.

"What the hell?" muttered Homura, didn't believe what had happened in front of his eyes.

"**Thou shalt be punished, one sinned fellow... I shalt give thee a divine punishment..."** Ken spoke with such an arcane voice. He raised his right hand to a same level as his right shoulder before he moved it to his left shoulder.

"Cross... My..."

Ken raised his right hand to his head level before he dropped his hand downwards, completing his sentence.

"Heart..."

As for that, the runic circlet glowed, producing a large amount of white flare and burned the man. Homura shrieked in agony as he felt as like he were burned by his own flame. After the white flare faded, Homura slumped onto ground and his clothes were ragged. Although he seemed to be badly injured, there's no visible wound could be seen.

"A holy punishment for someone like you... but don't worry, it's just draining most of your power, not instantly killing you..." said Ken as he landed gracefully onto the ground. His blue eyes reverted back to his usual brown pupils. "Anyway, that's for laying your finger to Aya... and..." Ken raised his spear to attack Homura. "I'll finish you here..."

"Aya... close your eyes because it might be getting gory..." Ken glanced to the terrified blonde girl before he looked back at Homura "Okay... ready to die!!"

"Halt!!"

Suddenly, Ken stopped as he felt a sudden coldness within his spine. He looked around him and saw a girl around his age, dressed in black Gothic Lolita dress, staring him with her yellow eyes.

"You..."

"Pardon me for interrupting your battle, Amada-sama... my name's Sui, Adjutant of Ice of Tsukuyomi-sama... I was given the order to drag Homura, Adjutant of Fire, back to our place..." the turquoise-haired girl spoke with such a polite tone.

"Sui!! Don't bother me!!" yelled Homura furiously.

"Then you leave me with no choice..." then, Sui walked past Ken and went in front of Homura. She placed her finger on the red-haired man's forehead and muttered "Bufu..."

As for that, Homura shrieked painfully as his body was surrounded by ice. Then, the man fell on the ground. Sui picked the man's body and lifted him at her back.

"I'm sorry for such a problem that my brother had done to you... I, on behalf of my master and also of my sibling, wish for your kind forgiveness..."

Ken seemed hesitated for some moments before he nodded.

"Alright, this time, I'll make it a pass... but next time..." he pointed his spear to the woman. "If any of you do it again, I'll make sure to make any of you into million pieces..."

"Well, I'll make sure to not make such a thing ever happen... but, thank you for such a bold statement... you're such a strong man..." replied Sui kindly with a sweet smile.

Then, Sui with Homura on her back turned behind.

"Anyway, we will meet again someday... and in that day, I wish to fight you and end it fair and square..." said the turquoise woman before she vanished.

Then, Ken turned his attention to Aya. He rushed to the blonde girl and untied the rope.

"Aya-san... are you alright?" asked Ken, worried.

"I'm alright, I think... but you..." Aya looked at Ken stomach.

"Don't worry for that... it's getting better now..." said Ken, grinning. He helped Aya to stand up.

"You saw it, right?" asked Ken, avoiding making an eye contact with Aya. Sheepishly, Aya nodded.

"Haha, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you for just knowing my little secret..." Ken could hear Aya gulped as he mentioned the word 'kill'. Then, Ken pressed his finger on the girl's lips.

"Just promise to me, please keep it as your own little secret, okay?" said Ken.

"Right..." the blonde girl replied and she smiled. "And... I've something for you..."

"What's tha... whoa... phhph!!" before Ken could finish his sentence, Aya grabbed his collar, pulling his body to her before she pressed her lips to Ken's. It was to be a while before Aya let up, for giving a chance for their lungs to get some precious air.

"Let just think it as... a gift for you for saving me..." said Aya shyly and her face reddened.

Ken smiled before he patted the girl's head.

' Let's go home..."

~darkness~

Edogawa looked at the piece of paper with Ken's cell phone number. After thinking for such a long time, he grabbed his phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, is that Amada-kun?"

~darkness~

As what I've promised, I'll make a double update. There's nothing can be mentioned here since you'll know when you read it. Anyway, thanks for those who read my fanfic. Later, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	19. Serpent Tail

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 19: Serpent Tail

"Whoa!! It's amazing!!" exclaimed the brunette woman, Chie as she entered the place. Yosuke, Aigis, Yukari and Naoto also seemed to be astonished by their surrounding. They were inside the longue of a Japanese-styled hotel-like place.

"Sometimes, a Greek like me would prefer a best choice like this..." said Ryoji, with his usual flamboyant and dramatic poses as he gestured to some parts of the longue of the hotel-like place. All of them minus Minato and Souji sweat dropped.

"Sometimes, he reminds me of Teddie..." muttered Yosuke.

"Oh yeah, I wonder where's Teddie-kun now..." asked Minato as he realised the absence of the bear.

"He got something to do outside... I dunno what that is..." replied Yosuke.

The woman in green sweater looked around to see a certain long and raven-haired woman who happened to be her friend before she looked at Minato. "Where's Yukiko?"

"She's having her self-training upstairs... she might come anytime... why don't you just sit back and have some tea? Let me prepare for some..." said Minato before he went to the kitchen.

"He's quite diligent, right?" commented Chie. "He even knows how to cook and stuff..." she added.

"Yeah..." said Yosuke before he grinned "Unlike someone's I know who'll cook nothing other than a set of Mystery Food X..."

"Hey!! Watch your mouth!!" bellowed the brunette woman.

"Hahaha... that's the truth... you and Yukiko even don't know how to cook a hard-boiled egg..."

"Chie and I don't even know how to cook what?" suddenly Yosuke heard a cold voice from behind him. As he turned behind, he saw Yukiko, dressed in red singlet and black skirt. She had a pair of black iron-laced fan with a symbol of sun emblazoned on them. Although she was smiling, Yosuke could feel something was burning.

"Ah... ahahaha..." Yosuke laughed nervously "How are you, Yukiko-san?"

"Fine than ever... but all these times, I'm only using my power on some poor training dummies... this time, I would like to test on human... Agidyne!!" she swiped her fan onto an appearing card. As for that, instead of the appearance of her Persona, fire ignited itself on her black fan, boosting the attack to Yosuke.

"Wargh!!" Yosuke was sent flying backwards by the fiery attack.

"Hahaha... that's fine... I think he wouldn't die with such an attack... anyway, nice to see you here, Chie..." Yukiko looked at her best friend, Chie.

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Yukiko... but, what's with these clothes?" asked Chie as she realized the unusual appearance of the raven-haired woman.

"Ah... I feel more comfortable with these clothes... it feels like that I've nothing on me..." replied Yukiko. The answer made all people in the place except Ryoji and Souji sweat dropped.

"Nothing on?" Yosuke stood up after he woke up from his unconscious state. Yukiko shot a dirty look on the brunette man, making the man shrunk.

"What're you saying about 'nothing on'?" asked Aigis, seemed confused.

"Let me do some explanations..." Ryoji stepped forward as he put on his glasses onto himself. "This fabric is made by the same substance as my jacket and my scarf... and it's a very rare fabric..." he took out a sample of the fabric and handed it to Kanji, who seemed to have knowledge about fabrics due to his job.

"It's strange... this fabric's very light..." commented Kanji after he examined the fabric before he handed it to others.

"True, it's light... beside being light... it's also tough and durable... it can withstand such light spells such like Bufu or Agi... and may reduce the damages we achieved if we're being attacked by physical attacks..." explained Ryoji before he took off his glasses. "However, since it's very rare, it might be hard for me to create it in such a great amounts..."

"Woah!! I never thought you're very intelligent before, Ryoji-kun!!" said Yukari, seemed astonished by the man's knowledge.

"Well, I'm the man who knows..." replied Ryoji with his grin.

Then, Minato came with a tray of cups and teapot with him. He put the tray on a table nearby.

"Ah, since it'll be afternoon, I think I should prepare the lunch..." said Minato before he walked back to the kitchen.

"Minato-kun! I'll help you!!" said Yukari as she followed the bluenette.

"Ah... I think I should go upstairs for a while... just make yourself home..." said Ryoji before he went upstairs. He entered a room and looked at a lone figure in the place.

"Alright, what's the big deal?" asked Ryoji to the figure.

"Just call me... Gin..." said the figure, which happened to be an old man who had been encountered by Yosuke before. He laid his umbrella on his shoulder. "I've seen that you've some problems with Tsukuyomi... Son of Night and Darkness, Harbinger of The Fall, Herald of Nyx, Mochizuki Ryoji... or should I say, Thanatos The God of Death?"

"Well, what should I help you, Trickster?" demanded Ryoji with his rare solemn tone, sitting himself on the couch.

"It seems the demand of Tsukuyomi of The Moon Deity was a little bit too much, whatever you hear for it, it still sounds bad for any of us..." said Gin.

"Haha, you're right for that... sometimes, gods are getting fussy..." said Ryoji with his amused face.

"Pft... you're the one who talk... because of their goal, it seems other force has arose and my power can't seal them anymore..."

"Are you referring to... 'them'?"

"Yes... and they might be targeting... Chariot... she has a perfect qualification as their last target... someone who was a living incarnation of Hime-sama..."

Ryoji chuckled as he heard the word 'incarnation'.

"Hear me... I'm as the god of Death never believe in incarnation... those who belong to Death will always being Death's... there's no such a place for them in this world..." said Ryoji.

"Yes I hear you... and yet a friend of your still manages to get back to this world after his demise, right? And you yourself are the one of that, right..."

"He's being allowed to live because of me... a Death himself giving a pass for a dead one to life... and, he's not truly dead, he's just... living in another world... and me..."

He closed his eyes. "I'm just being cursed... for being the Trump with no name... a terrible fate for a heavenly being like me..."

Gin smirked before he stood up from the couch "Alright... I think that's all from me... remember, only you, me and that Minato guy know about this discussion... and I think I'll have to assist you for something... farewell..."

As for that, Gin vanished. Ryoji smirked before he closed his eyes.

_A Death, right? Let see what a Trumph With No Name could do for this?_

~darkness~

Both Minato and Yukari seemed to be working at the kitchen. The bluenette was chopping some vegetables whereas the brunette woman was searching for something in the refrigerator.

"Are you sure it's here?" asked Yukari, turning her head to Minato.

"Well, I remember I saw it just some moments ago... hmm... maybe you should check at the drawer..." said Minato.

Yukari closed the refrigerator and opened the drawer. She seemed to find the thing that she had sought which happened to be a bottle of soy sauce. As she took the bottle, she took a quick glance at the bluenette.

_Sigh... he always looks charming... even if in scarf and apron..._

Although the bluenette man's face seemed a little paler than the previous days, it still didn't lose its charm. Then Yukari realized something.

"Minato-kun, are you okay? You look tired..." asked Yukari, concerned.

"Just a little... anyway, thanks..." replied Minato with a kind smile, making the brunette woman turned her head away as her face blushed.

The brunette woman put the soy sauce at the table whereas Minato started cooking.

"Okay, you can leave all of these to me... just get some rest, Yukari..." said Minato.

"You're the one who need some rest!" protested Yukari.

"No, I'm alright..." the bluenette shook his head.

Yukari sighed defeatedly before she walked out from the kitchen, not before she took a last look to the man.

_You're always like this..._

Not long after Yukari left the kitchen, Minato coughed. He looked on his palm and found blood on it.

"No, not yet... just give me some times..." he muttered before he washed his hand.

~darkness~

"Yukiko, I think we should start our training now..." said Ryoji to Yukiko who was talking with Chie.

"Alright!" nodded Yukiko.

"Ryoji-kun, may I look at Yukiko's training as well?" asked Chie.

"Feel free to see..." answered Ryoji. He, Yukiko and Chie went upstairs and entered the training room. The white large room seemed to fascinate the brunette woman in green sweater as well.

Ryoji was thinking for some moments as he looked at both Yukiko and Chie before he seemed to get something that would mean to be a good idea. He chuckled as he looked at Yukiko.

"Today, I would like to give you a different way of training, Yukiko... how about a sparring session with Chie?" suggested the black-haired man, making both women choked.

"What? Me? And Yukiko?! Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Chie.

"No, I don't feel to joke around this time... I just want to see how strong both of you are... especially Yukiko after all these training sessions..." explained Ryoji.

"Umm... but... are you sure?" asked Yukiko, hesitated.

"Just do your best, Yukiko..." Ryoji gave the woman a thumb-up. "I would like to see your fighting skill too, Chie..." he looked at Chie.

After some moments of thinking, both women finally nodded, uncertainly. They took their place as they readied themselves in their usual battle stances.

"Umm... please go easy on me, Chie..." said Yukiko nervously as she unflipped both her black fans.

"Begin!!"

Before Chie could do anything, she felt something was touching her before she was sent behind by an unknown force. As she looked in front of her, she saw Yukiko with her serious look and two fiery fans on both her hands.

"Ahh... sorry..." mouthed Yukiko as she realized what she had done. "I'm overdoing myself..."

"Why don't both of you be serious in this duel?" said Ryoji, who was becoming the sole spectator.

"What? How could you do that?" asked Chie with amazement.

"It's just a normal attack... anyway, let's begin, shall we?" suggested Yukiko as she raised both her fiery fans with a same level as her shoulders.

"Hmm... I guess we should begin now..." replied Chie as she readied herself with her usual battle stance, before both of them yelled a same word almost in the same time.

"Persona!!"

~darkness~

"It seems that the third party had emerged, isn't it, Adjutant of Thunder?" the cloaked man on the majestic throne spoke to his adjutant, who was happened to be Raiga, who was standing beside him.

"Yes, Tsukuyomi-sama... what should you do for this?" asked Raiga.

"It is annoying to do so, but it seems that it is necessary for us to hold them... no one can conquer darkness except me..." said Tsukuyomi.

"That's true, Tsukuyomi-sama... and we might end up helping Seta Souji for preventing that third party from achieving their goal..." said Raiga.

"Haha... you're right for that... that's why I only say about this to you... Homura and Kazematsuri might lose their minds if they heard me... and our job's doubled..." Tsukuyomi smirked.

~darkness~

In a place that nobody could know, a group of people were gathering around a mirror. A man with purple hair spoke. "Is he alright?"

"He's just sleeping, Charles... you shouldn't disturb him..." said a woman with cowboy hat.

"Don't say like that, Vineyard... our Charles just getting worried, that's all..." said another man with spiky yellow hair.

"I'm not yours, Solomon..." mouthed Charles.

_All of you are noisy... I'm just starting to sleep when your voices began to bother me..._

"My lord... sorry for such a ruckus..." spoke a man with black hair and black leather jacket.

_No need for that, Moses... I just cannot wait for her... the eighth one... I've been waiting her for centuries..._

Moses bowed to the mirror before he spoke with such a deep tone.

"Don't worry, my lord... we will bring her here... it's just a matter of time..."

~darkness~

This had been sixth time for Chie for being thrown behind by such an unknown force by Yukiko. As Chie tried to attack Yukiko with a kick, the black-haired woman just parried the kick with one of her fans before she activated Yata-no-Kagami, making the brunette woman being sent behind, again.

"Uwaah!!" lucky for Chie because for this time, she was held by Ryoji instead of sprawled again on the floor.

"Are you alright?" asked Ryoji to Chie.

"Umm..." nodded Chie.

"Chie!!" Yukiko ran to her friend. "Is it hurt?"

"A bit... you're really strong, Yukiko... I never thought you can be this strong..." said Chie with amazement.

"Thanks for Ryoji-kun's help for that... he's the one who taught me this battle style... if you see it, it looks like I'm dancing, isn't it?"

"Umm... yeah! I've seen in movies that some people fight like they were dancing, but I never thought you can do it..."

"You're great too, Chie... if you train yourself harder, you might be getting stronger too..." said Ryoji. "If you don't mind, I'll teach you too... it might benefit Yukiko as well for a sparring partner..."

"Really?" exclaimed Chie.

"Yes... and I think..." then Ryoji grinned before he took out something from his coat which happened to be a two-piece green bikini.

"I would like to see you it this..." smiled Ryoji mischievously as both women blushed. "And you, Yukiko... how about this?" he took another red-colored two-piece bikini.

"Ryoji-kun, you're pervert!!" yelled both women in unison.

~darkness~

Phew, another chapter updated. As usual, I don't like to explain about the content of this chapter. Then, I'm also making a fanfic entitled Shin Megami Tensei Persona V in Megami Tensei Fanfiction Archive. For dear readers, if you have time, why don't you read that fanfic? I'm also accepting OCs. Anyway, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	20. Untitled Fragment of Their Story

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 20: Untitled Fragment of Their Story

The white-haired police officer was standing beside his car and was accompanied by a certain green-haired nurse. Akihiko repeatedly looked at his watch as they were waiting for someone.

"Where's Ken? He had told me that he'll arrive about an hour ago..." grumbled Akihiko.

"Senpai, just wait for him, okay? I think he's going to fetch Edogawa-sensei... ah, there they are..."

Fuuka pointed her finger to two figures. One of those figures was a brunette teenager with a bag that was hung on his shoulder. Another one was a middle-aged man with two large trunks.

"Sigh... so that's why they're being so late..." sighed Akihiko.

"Sorry... we have some problems back there... luckily we still can manage to solve it in time..." said Ken apologetically.

"Whatever, anyway... pleased to meet you, Edogawa-sensei..." the white-haired police officer bowed to his former teacher at school.

"Thank you, Sanada-kun... it's been sometimes since we actually met each other..." then Edogawa looked at Fuuka. "And you're Yamagishi-kun I presume..."

"Good to see you here, Edogawa-sensei..." the green-haired woman bowed to the teacher politely. "I hope we can help each other after this..."

"Alright... since our destination is Inaba, I've filled my car fully and we're taking the other route instead of train... if everyone is ready, let's go..."

~darkness~

"What're you thinking back there, bitch?!!" the red-haired adjutant punched the turquoise-haired girl on her face, making her slumped on the floor. She didn't seem to resist as she seemed terrified.

"Homura, stop it this instantly!! What will Tsukuyomi-sama or Raiga do if they see this?" said Kazematsuri.

"Don't bother me, Kaze!! Mind your own business!!" yelled Homura outragedly. He looked back at Sui before he pulled the girl to him by pulling her hair.

"Do you think you can do that to me? Agi!!" his other hand flared and he intended to land a punch on the girl. Luckily, a certain white-haired adjutant swiftly came and gripped the fiery hand of Homura tightly.

"What are you thinking of doing, Homura? It's her responsibility to bring you back and had to paralyze you if you cause more troubles..." said Raiga with such a solemn voice. His blue and yellow eyes glowed below his spectacles.

"Tch!!" Homura pulled back his hand and walked out from the place. Kazematsuri followed the red-haired man. Raiga looked at his sibling before he crouched and place his hand to her face. His hand radiated a comforting aura which healed the bruises on Sui's face.

"You're doing a good job..." spoke the white-haired adjutant softly. Sui's body was trembling as tears gathered on her eyes. Her yellowish orbs turned into blue, the same shade of color of one of Raiga's eyes.

"Why... why should we like this?" squeaked the woman tearfully. She put her face on Raiga's chest and continued to cry. Raiga sighed as he stroked the turquoise stresses of the girl tenderly.

"Why we should be born from darkness?" Raiga frowned as his sister asked him such a question.

"We are born from the inner feelings of human... their shadows, their hidden self..." replied the white-haired man before he wrapped his arms around Sui and gave her a comforting hug.

"So, why can't we be human? Why should we be the Shadows, not humans?" Sui lifted her face and her teary blue eyes pierced straightly to Raiga's.

"The darkness is within humans... it not really matters what we should be... since human and darkness would never be separated..." answered Raiga.

"But... I'm afraid... of darkness..."

Raiga gave Sui a kind smile before he patted the crying woman's head soothingly.

"Don't worry, no matter how dark it would be... I'll always be here for you..."

~darkness~

Yosuke was riding his bicycle as he passed in front of Tatsuhime Shrine. He was listening for some J-pop musics from his earphones. Without his realization, a pair of shining eyes was comically gleaming from the bushes nearby before a damn amount of cucumbers being fired like missiles from a certain direction towards the poor cycling Yosuke.

"What the, gwaaah!!" the poor brunette man was striked by a flurry of assaulting cucumbers before he thudded on the pavement along with his poor bicycle. As for that, an old man who had been encountered by Yosuke at Junes came out from the shrine area.

"Yo..." greeted the old man casually as he rolled a cucumber on his hand.

"You?! You... what the hell are you doing??!!" shrieked the brunette man before he picked himself up and dusted his clothes. He saw the old man was smirking.

"Nothing, just for a sheer fun and amusement..." replied the old man. "Still remember me?"

"Of course I am!! You didn't pay for those cucumbers, right?!"

The old man guffawed before he placed his hand on Yosuke's shoulder.

"You look interesting, young man, would you mind to introduce yourself?" demanded the old man in ragged rain jacket.

"Hanamura Yosuke, satisfied?" answered Yosuke rudely.

"My my, you're a bad-tempered man... but don't worry, that's common for a young man like you... and you seem to be talented as well..."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?!" Yosuke felt something weird about the old man.

"Do you know these?" as for that, the old man lifted his hands and showed a pair of black daggers. Yosuke was terribly choked as he saw his weapons were in the old man's hands.

"What the? How did you get 'em?" asked Yosuke before he looked at his bag and saw that his bag unzipped.

"They seem to be very good... such a fine craftsmanship... I wonder who gave these to you..." said the old man as he observed the daggers.

"My... my partner..." answered Yosuke uncertainly.

"I see... well, that friend of yours had such great eyes of selecting the great things for you... but I wonder what you will do with such these things?" asked the old man.

"What are you talking about of, old man?" spoke the brunette man to the suspicious old man. The old man was smiling before he tossed the cucumber on his hand to the air.

In a blink of eyes, the old man cut the cucumber which was in midair with Yosuke's daggers. Then he took out a plate from his jacket before the slices of cucumber fell onto the place and perfectly arranged.

"Well, it might be good for snack time..." said the old man casually. Yosuke took some times to reattach back his jaw before he commented the old man's action.

"You're great!! I never see such a movement before..." exclaimed Yosuke.

"I give this back to you..." the old man handed the daggers back to their owner before he turned back and began to walk away. But, he was halted by Yosuke's request.

"Please teach me how to make that movement!!" requested the brunette man. The old man smiled.

"As your wish, Yosuke... you can see me anytime you want... my name is Gin..."

~darkness~

Both female combatants exchanged their attacks with their fans and feet respectively as a raven-haired man with yellow scarf and a bluenette man in black trench coat just observed them intently. Both Yukiko and Chie used their own respective battle styles to fight each other.

"Yata-no-Kagami!!" Yukiko activated her invisible barrier as Chie seemed to attack her at her side. Chie smiled as she halted her movement before she turned at Yukiko's another side and caught one of Yukiko's hands. The black-haired woman with sleeveless red shirt was mildly surprised by her friend's sudden change of her movement before she used her other hand to summon her Persona, Amaterasu. The Persona of Priestess Arcana fired a medium fire spell onto her summoner's wrist, making Chie released her grip. Chie took some steps back.

"It almost hit me..." said Chie before she summoned Suzuka Gongen. The Persona casted Bufula and Yukiko dodged it with a side step.

"I never thought you can use ice again..." Yukiko looked at the Persona of Chariot Arcana before the naginata-wielding Persona dissipated. Chie grinned as she gave her friend a V sign.

"I learned it again since physical attacks just draining my energy up... anyway, let us continue..." the brunette woman with similar clothing as Yukiko, only with different colour, readied herself with her battle stance.

"Right..." replied Yukiko with a smile as she readied herself as well.

As the training fight continued, Ryoji looked at his partner.

"So, what do you think, Minato?" asked Ryoji with his usual silly grin.

"They've their own styles... Amagi-san uses fans as her weapon whereas Satonaka-san uses her feet to fight... but the thing that fascinates me the most is..."

One of Yukiko's fans and one of Chie's feet collided and formed a deadlock.

"They seem capable to predict each other's movements... and Ryoji, you might know what I mean, right?" a rare smirk formed on the navy-haired man's face.

"Of course I know... since I am once diffused into your very own heart and emerged from the sea of your soul as your other self... nobody will understand you better except me..." answered Ryoji with unusual grim tone. Then he looked at both girls and instructed "Okay, that's all for today... and Minato has something to tell you girls..."

Both Yukiko and Chie went to the men's direction and looked at Minato. The bluenette coughed a little before he spoke.

"I see that both of you are great... and from what I've seen, Ryoji and I had discussed something and we will give both of you a new form of training..." announced Minato. "Amagi-san, although your proficiency is for healing and magic-based spells, you still manage to make yourself useful for physical close-combat and Satonaka-san, you're such a good learner... although we only demonstrated some styles that might fit for your battle skill, you seem to be able to make variations in your movement... so, kudos for you two..."

Both women's face brightened as they were praised by Minato. Ryoji took two bottles of mineral water and gave them to Chie and Yukiko. Then, Yukiko spotted something on Chie's arm.

"Chie, your hand..." said the black-haired woman before she observed Chie's arm. "It burned..."

"Ah, I don't realize it... but don't worry, it's just a small burn..." said Chie reassuringly. But Yukiko placed her hands on the burn mark before a healing glow radiated from both Yukiko's hands. Gradually, the mark shrunk and finally vanished.

"Erm... thanks..." thanked Chie sheepishly.

"Anytime..." replied Yukiko with a sweet smile.

~darkness~

"Ziodyne!!" shouted Souji before Izanagi of The Fool Arcana appeared and casted the designed attack towards a training dummy. The dummy was barely being hit by the striking ray of electricity.

_Still not enough... accuracy is the main aspect in battle besides the strength... so, maybe I should go to Velvet Room and fuse Izanagi again with Auto-Sukukaja... anyway, I already have Izanagi-no-Okami... so, that's my ace in battle for now..._

He closed his eyes before a blue card materialized on his palm. He let the card spun on his hand before he crushed it and addressed the name of the Persona.

"Izanagi-no-Okami, Ziodyne!!"

The Persona of The World Arcana, Izanagi-no-Okami appeared above his summoner. The upgraded form of Izanagi in white yakuza coat looked at his summoner for some moments before he nodded curtly. He casted Ziodyne towards the training dummy. The training dummy was shredded into pieces as it was being hit by the vicious lightning strike.

"So, that's Izanagi-no-Okami... such a rare Persona with his Arcana as The World... the only Arcana that is inaccessible for me..."

Souji turned his head to the voice and found Minato. He seemed to arrived at the room when Souji summoned Izanagi-no-Okami.

"Sorry, but what do you mean by 'unaccessable'?" asked Souji.

"Each of Wild Cards' user has their own specialties... like me to have ability to make a fusion spell from two Personas and you to be able to access to World Arcana Persona... so, that's even for us..." replied Minato.

Minato was thinking for some moments before a bright idea came into his mind.

"I am curious if what will happen if we are fighting each other..." said Minato.

"Fight? I'm sure that you'll win..." said Souji humbly.

"Don't be like that... how about if we put it into test..." Minato took out his Evoker and placed it on his temple. "Suzaku!"

He pressed the trigger and a red phoenix-like Persona, Suzaku appeared above him. The Persona of Temperance Arcana fired Agidyne spell towards Souji.

Souji took some steps aback before he crushed his card and summoned Izanagi-no-Okami. The Persona dressed in white coat decorated with several golden buttons swung his naginata to perform Deathbound attack. The attack managed to cleave the pheonix-like Persona before the blade went to Minato.

As the edge of Amenonuhoko almost reached Minato, he used his hand to withstand the attack. He pushed the blade forward, making the Persona moved back. Then, Izanagi-no-Okami vanished.

"Wow, you're able to withstand Deathbound... you're very strong, Minato-san..." said Souji, amazed.

"You're good too... my Suzaku's Agility stat is in its maximum rate... normal enemy would never able to even dodge that attack... and yet you still manage to evade it easily... you're a Speed type..." said the bluenette.

"Speed type?" the silverette seemed confused.

"That Izanagi of yours gives you an advantage in terms of agility than other Personas... he was created for speed and reflexes... you saw it too, right? Izanagi's power is mainly electricity..."

Souji nodded since Minato's statement was right. Then he looked at Minato.

"And you're... Strength type?" presumed the silver-haired man. Minato chuckled as he nodded.

"You're clever... yes, my Persona, Orpheus, gives me an advantage in terms of strength... so that's why I can withstand such a heavy physical attack barehanded... anyway, I would like to know you better, Seta-san..."

"Would like... to know me better?"

"Yes... I'm rather curious about you... I would like to know about your past, the past which had created you now..." Minato inserted his hands into his pocket as he leaned himself on the wall. Souji sighed before he began.

"It's... nothing special... except since I was a child, my parents frequently changed their jobs, leaving me alone at some places... year after year, I never stay put in a same place... I was kept transferred and transferred and again, transferred... until I ended here, Inaba..." spoke Souji solemnly.

"At least you still have them... and also some good relatives like Dojima-san and Nanako... but there's nobody needed to be blamed, it is what had made you. What if you didn't experience those things, you wouldn't be the same just like what you are today..." replied Minato with the same tone just like Souji.

"I've heard from Aigis-san... you've lost your parents when you're a child... I'm terribly sorry for that..." Souji closed his eyes.

"It's alright... I can't remember their faces properly though... it has been 17 years since that day... I don't really remember that much... maybe that time, I was too little to understand what had happened that day..." said the bluenette.

Minato looked at his palms.

"Maybe... I'm just running away..."

~darkness~

Kanji was standing in front of the mirror. He breathed in and out for some moments before he finally spoke.

"Rokuten Maoh..."

Then, he felt that he had fallen into an abyss of obscurity before he felt that he was standing on a cold marble floor. He looked around and found himself inside a white chamber. A man with red cloak was standing opposite him.

"You've called me at last... so, do you want to grasp the power which a 'real' man would try to achieve?" spoke the man as his crimson eyes glowed under his cloak.

"Bring it on..." replied Kanji confidently.

The man smiled to see Kanji's enthusiasm. He snapped his fingers and a runic circlet appeared below them.

"Have you ever heard about Samsara?" asked the man. Kanji answered it by shaking his head.

"Ah, then... would you mind to hear about it?"

The man raised both his arms before the scenery in the chamber changed. First, it changed into a place with many people swarmed around. All of them seemed busy.

"First realm of Samsara, human, Manusya... based on passion, desire, doubt and pride... a realm where you mortals are living at..."

Then the scenery changed into a place where there were many animals, stampeding around and making irritating noises with their hooves and claws and feet and also with their groans, roars and voices.

"Second realm of Samsara, beast, Tiryag-yoni... based on strong mental states of stupidity and prejudice which were cultivated from their past life in another realms... a realm which shares a same dimension as human, yet living in a very different point of view as animals..."

After that, the place took another shape into a battlefield in ancient time. Battle roars were shouted in every angle of the place as humanoid-like creatures with three-faced and twisted creatures charging forwards and killing each other.

"Third realm of Samsara, demigod, Asura... based on jealously, struggle, combat and rationalization of the world from their past life in another realm... a realm which you mortals would never see it yet same like what you have experienced in your last journey, people only believe what they want to believe... and the truth will always be shrouded in mystery..."

Next, the place turned to be a graveyard with grotesque and hideous creatures roaming around the yard, doing nothing except moaning and howling and drooling. They looked like the zombies which Kanji had watched in TV.

"Fourth realm of Samsara, hungry ghost, Preta... based on strong possessiveness and desire which had been cultivated from their past life in another realms... a realm which shares a same dimension just like you mortals, only with difference that you would never see them..."

The graveyard-like place changed into a burning place. Kanji heard screaming and howling all over the place.

"Fifth realm of Samsara, hell, Naraka... based on strong states of hatred cultivated from their past life... a dimension where the sinned shall be punished until their karma had been fulfilled..."

Then, the place turned back into the white chamber.

"And the last realm of Samsara, God, Deva... the realm of bliss... but still, the realm is still being bounded by chains of fate... no matter how blissful the place would be, you still can't reach your full enlightenment..."

"So, what has it had anything to do on how I could be stronger?" asked Kanji.

"It is symbolic, isn't it? No matter how hard you try, you're still being limited by a bound called 'fate'... thus; the objective on how you could be stronger is..."

The place turned to be a place which Kanji himself was unable to describe. It was a majestic universe-like place, with glittering stars and galaxy. A feeling of serenity and calm began to form within Kanji.

"To make yourself being freed from the bounds of fate... to reach something that is known as ultimate enlightenment... Nirvana..."

"Nirvana?"

"Hmm... it might be hard to comprehend all these things for now... but there will always be next time... farewell, till we meet again..."

~darkness~

Naoto was reading some documents which she had copied some days ago. She tapped her finger on the table as she read those documents.

"This is hard that I have imagined... something that humanity sought since their birth? Is it their demise, but how?"

"Naoto-kuuuun!!!"

Naoto was shocked and sweat dropped as she heard that familiar voice, which would be owned by not other than Kujikawa Rise. Slowly, she turned her head and saw a young woman with pig-tailed red hair.

"Rise-san... how did you come here?" asked the detective.

"Isn't it obvious? This place is Senpai's hideout!! What would you expect if I'm here?"

Naoto sighed. She returned her attention for her reading.

"Naoto-kun, what's that?" asked Rise, peeking on what had been read by the detective.

"Some copies of Kojiki and other ancient writings..." replied Naoto plainly.

Rise was thinking for some moments as she put her finger under her chin before a bright idea appeared in her mind, and that would not be a good idea for Naoto.

"But really, why you always taking Senpai's instructions without complain or stuff? From what I know, you're someone who wouldn't bother herself for some ridiculous things like this, except..."

An evil smirk began to form on Rise's face.

"Am I sensing 'rabu' here?" the idol narrowed her eyes, making the female detective felt uneasy. (Rabu is love if Japanese says it in English)

"Wha-what are you talking about, Rise-san? Of course I'll accept his demands because he is our leader!! Don't just jump into conclusion!!" the detective answered hastily as she tried to cover her uneasiness.

"Ah, because 'he' is our leader... but, why did you just follow his instruction without question? It would never happen if it was a 'normal' you, unless..."

"Don't ever dare to finish that sentence!!" growled Naoto as she felt her face reddened. "He is our leader and that's all!!"

"You know, Souji-senpai had started to go out with Yukiko-senpai some weeks before you entered our squad... let just say you're a little bit late in terms of time..." teased Rise theatrically.

"Noo!! Stop it this instant!!" demanded Naoto as her face reddened further.

"But don't worry... you still have chances to get him since their relationship isn't official yet... all you have to do is some makeovers and stuff so he would see you thoroughly, above and below..." the idol continued to tease the now-flustered Naoto.

"No! Enough with this stuff already!!" pleaded Naoto, unable to control herself anymore. Rise chuckled before she took off Naoto's hat and patted the detective's head tenderly.

"Well, you know... sometimes, a lady would have to become selfish... just stop making yourself denying your inner thought... I know you like him... and moreover, don't make yourself lose to Yukiko-senpai, like what most people say, all fair's in love and war..." Rise wrapped her arms around Naoto's neck.

"I won't believe such a silly thing like love..." said Naoto darkly despite her reddened face. Her inner self was finally resurfaced after being covered by her confidence after these years.

"Aww... don't say like that, Naoto-kun... furthermore, competition of love is the proof of youth..."

"Rise-san!!"

~darkness~

Akihiko was the one who driving the car whereas Fuuka was sitting on front passenger seat. Both Ken and Edogawa were sitting at the back. The nurse-teacher was seemingly sleeping.

"Junpei-san can't join us since he has some baseball practices for today... and Chidori-san is busy with her Cosplay Cafe... so they will join us tomorrow..." said Ken.

"Ah, Chidori-san will join us..." said Fuuka.

Akihiko took a quick glance to the sleeping nurse-teacher.

"Why should we involve him into this?" asked Akihiko.

"This is Minato-san's idea... I believe he was doing a right decision..." said Ken, looking at the sleeping teacher.

"But, will he be alright?" asked Fuuka, seemingly worried.

"I dunno... but I'm sure Minato will protect him..." said Akihiko.

Fuuka looked outside. "You know, it has been seven years already since that day... I wonder how Minato-kun lived at that place over the years..."

"Maybe he was alone..." spoke Ken solemnly.

"Ken-kun..."

"No, he wasn't..."

Both Ken and Fuuka looked at the white-haired driver.

"He was together with us now... I'm sure he will do just fine..." Akihiko was smiling.

"I hope..." Ken sighed.

~darkness~

Hahahahaha!! Another chapter finally updated after some days of hibernating. You know, most of anime and manga don't follow the Mendel's Law of Inheritance since most of the characters in anime or manga have many type of hair variations (for example, Minato with blue hair). For example, red hair is recessive for genetic inheritance and yet Mitsuru still managed to have red hair despite her father was black/brown-colored hair. It still cannot be accepted even if her mother had red hair because for recessive traits, both parents must have at least one recessive trait in their genetics and the ratio for having a red-haired offspring is 1:3. And Mitsuru seemed to not dye her hair since she had her red hair since she was a child.

Hahaha, don't mind my brags up there, just a Biology slot. If I was wrong, please anyone; give some corrections, since my Biology's grade is utterly saddening. Anyway, this chapter is kinda boring and yet, there it is. I hope I have enough time to complete my story but since my exam is approaching, but my free time was limited. And why do I give this chapter 'Untitled Fragment of Their Story'? Because I have no idea about the title. Anyway, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	21. Preparation For Heavenly War

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 21: Preparation for Heavenly War

_**It had been two days since Edogawa had joined the force. After being introduced by Minato to the group, he stayed at Amagi Inn. Then, a meeting about Tsukuyomi had been held and those who were included in the meeting were Minato, Ryoji, Edogawa, Souji and Naoto. In the meeting, they had pieced together the information that they had gained about Tsukuyomi. After that, they had decided to have another investigation into the TV world two weeks from that day. For that, they had to be stronger.**_

_**First, let us see about Chie and Yukiko's training...**_

"This is tougher than I thought... I'm dead tired..." said the brunette woman as she panted. "How about you, Yukiko?" she turned to her friend.

"Me too... Ryoji-kun, are you sure this will work?" asked Yukiko to their trainer.

"Of course it will! Just do what I had asked you and you can do it!" encouraged the black-haired man with a grin.

"Umm... alright..." replied Chie.

Suddenly, Teddie entered the training room and both Chie and Yukiko felt something bad would happen.

"Hi Ryoji! Ah, Chie-chan and Yuki-chan are training... go for it girls!!" the blonde guy gave two girls encouragement. "And what are you doing here, Ryoji?"

"Just observing them in their training..." replied Ryoji. "And what are YOU doing here?" asked him again.

"Aha, it's because I'm bored... Sensei didn't allow me to walk around the town and score with the girls around... sigh, sometimes, he's a boring guy... do you have something good to be played?"

"I dunno. Maybe..." suddenly, both Ryoji's eyes were gleaming, making both Yukiko and Chie felt something even more terrible would happen. "How about... you know..." a usual suspicious smirk formed on Ryoji's face as he took out something that would make Yukiko and Chie gulped.

Some moments later...

"Woah!! Chinese fan dancers with miniskirt!!" whistled Teddie as he looked at tow now-embarrassed women, dressed in Chinese opera dancer cheongsam with miniskirts. As usual, Yukiko was in red dress whereas Chie was in green one.

"Now, you can continue for your training..." said Ryoji, grinning smugly.

"Ryoji-kun!! What the hell is this?!" squealed Chie with her reddened face. "You'll see our panties if we wear these in our training!!"

"At least you still wear it, isn't it?" replied Ryoji with a pervert smile.

_**Another doomed day for both Yukiko and Chie, maybe...**_

_**Now, let see about what had been done by Aigis.**_

"Upgrade is complete... Aigis, you can open your eyes now..." said Mitsuru as she took off her spectacles. Aigis looked at her arms and found the additional stripes on them.

"New weapons for you... I've added some close-combat weapons like short swords and scout-knives into you body... you can give the command to use those weapons if you want... let's give it a try..." said Mitsuru.

Aigis pressed her black-tipped finger on the stripes before a command appeared in her system. She closed her eyes as a black scout-knife emerged from her wrist. The knife had Kirijo Corporation's symbol emblazoned on it.

"It's a rare weapon... use it wisely... beside that, I've added some features into the knife like making it like a stun gun... it might come into handy sometimes..."

"Thank you, Mitsuru-san..." thanked Aigis with a smile.

"Anytime..." replied the red-haired chairwoman. "And, have you considered of getting 'further' upgrade?"

"Further?" asked Aigis, seemingly confused.

"Of course, further... making your skin more soft and supple, adding something into your body so you can wear something more exposing, if you know what I mean..." as usual, Mitsuru teased our poor Aigis. It seemed like it had been a sort of enjoyment for this Kirijo chairwoman to see the poor gynoid, who was seemingly flustered, bolted from her seat and steam came out from her robotic ears.

"Mitsuru-san!! Stop teasing me!!" protested Aigis. If she were a human, she might have blushed by Mitsuru's teasing.

"Hahahaha.... kawaii..." the red-haired woman laughed heartily as she patted the flustered android's head. "Don't worry, I'm just joking..." she said reassuringly.

"Mitsuru-san... may I ask you something?" asked Aigis.

"What is that?"

"Umm... well, what will you do if... you like a... boy? Yeah, a boy..." asked the blonde android, seemingly nervous. Mitsuru frowned.

"Well, I never thought about that..." replied Mitsuru as her face getting red as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Umm... what do you think about... Minato?" asked Aigis again.

"Arisato? Well, he's a good leader... he doesn't talk too much and... He's different than other guys I've seen..." replied Mitsuru as she closed her eyes.

Aigis looked directly at Mitsuru before she could be seen visibly gulped.

"Do... you like him?"

Mitsuru agitated for some moments before she reverted to her usual self and chuckled.

"Of course I like him... everybody loves him, right?" answered Mitsuru casually.

Mitsuru put her hand on one of Aigis' shoulders before she spoke to the blonde gynoid reassuringly.

"Don't worry too much, Aigis... it is normal for a human being to fall in love... it is something that we cannot avoid... sigh, I wish I were you..." said Mitsuru.

"Am I... am I a human being?" then Aigis asked another question. Mitsuru was silent for some moments before she replied.

"Yes, you are... you're a human being now..." replied the red-haired chairwoman with a smile. "It doesn't matter what you are, we still regard you as a human being..."

~darkness~

_**Alright, if you wonder about Yosuke, he had gone to Tatsuhime Shrine to meet a weird old man named Gin.**_

"Gin-sensei!!"shouted Yosuke from his bike.

"Ah, you're coming..." said the old man. He leaned at a tree before he lifted himself and dusted his back.

"Can you teach me now?" demanded Yosuke.

"No..."

This simple reply same like a myriad of arrows, piercing the poor Yosuke.

"What?!!"

"Unless if you pay some compensation for my lesson..." said Gin, smirking.

Yosuke sighed before he took out his wallet. "Alright, alright... how much do you want?"

"I don't accept money..." stated the old man nonchalantly.

"What the?!"

"Ah, this might do it..." then Gin raised his right hand, revealing an object which was an adult magazine.

"What?!! How'd you get it?!" Yosuke was rather shocked to see his own magazine was in Gin's hand. He looked at his bag and found that it was unzipped, again. "Hey, that's the latest issue!!"

"I'll take it... it will do as a payment for my lesson to you..." said Gin as he inserted the magazine into his rain jacket.

Yosuke groaned before he sighed "Sheesh, fine..."

"Good... before we begin our lesson, may I ask you something... why do you like this type of fighting skill, apart of having a great accuracy?" asked Gin.

"Well, that..." Yosuke seemed to be hesitated "Maybe because it... looks cool..."

"Hmm... well answered... but, compared to sword or gun, dagger can't be used as a long range weapon and a chance for getting counterattack is higher than using other weapons with longer range... so, you might get injured easily..." said the old man.

"So, you're saying that daggers are unsuitable weapons to be used?" asked Yosuke.

"Technically, yes... unless there's something that can compensate this weakness... have you fought someone with the same skill just like you?"

By hearing Gin's question, Yosuke remembered about his fight with Kazematsuri.

"Yes..."

"Well, what can you observe about that?"

The event of his fight with that Adjutant of Wind revolved inside his mind. The pink-haired woman's movement still could be remembered by him.

"She's... dancing..."

"Ah, you're fighting with a woman... hmm... dancing, not bad... well, that's a way to cover her weakness... if you can think something that can cover your weakness, you might end up as strong as her as well..."

"Really?" exclaimed Yosuke, his face was brightened.

"That's what I'm talking about. Alright, let us do this... let's begin with some simple movements..."

_**Hmm... let us leave them with their lesson. Let us go straight to Iwatodai Dormitory to see Ken who had recently arrived from his trip from Inaba.**_

"I'm back..." Ken opened the door before he stepped into the dorm. He found Aya, sitting on the couch and watching television. As Ken entered the dorm, the blonde girl turned her attention from the television into the brunette.

"Welcome back, Ken-kun..." greeted Aya sweetly. Ken looked around and found nobody except Aya.

"Where's others?" asked the brunette boy.

"Hajime's going to his buddy's house and Haruka goes for her friend's birthday party, leaving me alone in this place..." replied Aya.

"I see..." the brunette boy rubbed his chin. He sat beside the girl and laid his bag on the floor. There were some awkward moments of silence as both of them seemed to have no idea about what should they do. Aya was looking at other direction while her face flushed with faint blush whereas Ken was looking at another direction as he still could remember clearly their first kiss.

"So... we are alone, right?" Ken tried to break the awkward silence.

"Y-Yes..." answered Aya shyly.

"Is that okay for you to... alone, with me?" asked Ken, again. Aya didn't answer it as her face seemed to redden further.

Aya looked at the boy's face for some moments before she asked him.

"Ken-kun, can you tell me more? About your power..." asked the blonde girl sheepishly. The brunette boy frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll not tell others about that..." Aya gave the boy a reassurance. Ken sighed before he began.

"This power, we call it Persona... it is a representation of one's other self and you did see it, right? My Persona is Kala Nemi..." explained Ken.

"Oh, so that Persona thing has its name... wait, do you say, we?"

"Ah, I forgot to mention that... besides me, there are some people who possess the same power like me... they're older than me since I'm the youngest among them..." said the brunette boy. Then he explained about all of his comrades and their adventures.

"Hmm... that's why you always hang up with some adults... are they insanely strong just like you?"

"Indeed... and there's one person who is strongest among them... if you don't mind, take a look at this..." Ken took out something from his bag and handed it to Aya. The thing was a picture of SEES members.

"We took that picture seven years ago... as you can see, I'm the shortest among them..." said Ken as his face reddened when he mentioned himself short.

"Ken-kun... you're great, having a power like that..." then the blonde girl spoke with sad tone.

"What do you mean by that?" Ken seemed confused.

"I still can remember that you said to me that you live your life for justice..."

"Yes... and that's probably a reason for me to have this power..."

"You know, my late father... he was a policeman... he said to me that he wanted to be a hero of justice... but, he died when he tried to catch a robber..." Aya began to sob. "You see... his feeling of justice was bringing to his demise... so..."

Aya touched Ken's hand.

"When I see your fight, there is a chance for you to get killed... do you never think of yourself? You might die in that kind of battle..." the blonde girl gripped Ken's hand. Her hand was sweaty and trembling, proving how genuine her fear was. Ken sighed before he answered Aya's question in a sagely manner.

"I've been running away throughout my life since my mother was murdered... I had once putting myself and my vendetta in a very first place, but in the end..." Ken smiled to Aya. "The effort was proven futile... I couldn't avenge my mother's death and by that, it seemed that I had lost something that I had sworn in front of my mother's grave, something that I had lived with..."

"Ken-kun?"

"That thing was my passion, my lust for a vengeance... I had known my mother's murderer and I planned to kill him, but in the end, he was the one who saved me from a terrible fate, with a cost of his life..." said Ken.

"I-I don't realize that... you're that, kind of man..." stated Aya grimly. Ken just chuckled.

"And you've realized right? About how dangerous I could be?" Ken smirked.

"Ken-kun, I don't think that's a proper thing to be joked with..." sighed Aya. "Anyway, I've just realized that about how little I know about you, like losing your parents and your power... I hope I can help you with something..."

Ken stared at the girl's eyes before he put his head on the girl's shoulder, making the girl startled a bit.

"I'm a little tired... but could you please..." Ken's tone was monotonous and unenthusiastic "...accompany me for some times?"

Before she could answer it, Ken shut his eyes and slept. His tiredness and fatigue ness finally resurfaced from his nonchalant face. After some moment being petrified, Aya smiled as she stroked Ken's brown hair tenderly.

"As your wish, Ken-kun..." said Aya, smiling. Then she closed her eyes before she kissed the boy's forehead.

"I love you..."

_**Ahh, it's good to be young... anyway, just leave these two love doves for some private moments as we returned to Inaba. About this time... (searching for his script inside his drawer)**_

_**Bang!!**_

_**-Ouch!! Kira, that's hurt!!**_

_**-Enough with some crappy jokes, Al... ah forgot to mention, my name is Kira, this scum's girlfriend... anyway, let us proceed with the story...**_

_**-Evil witch...**_

Naoto was cleaning her revolver in one of the rooms in Souji's hideout. Although the cleaning process was not hard, it could be tedious sometimes.

"Sigh..." the sleuth sighed. She still could remember what Rise had told her. Trying to seduce Souji who is already in love with Yukiko could be a most sinful action she could do.

"Putting on some exposing attires..." the she muttered subconsciously. After some moments of silence, she shook her head frantically.

"No! No! No! What am I thinking?! Trying to make such an immodest thing, there's no way I could do that!!" she was flustered.

Then she heard someone was knocking the door. She stood up and opened it. She found Yukiko, still in her training attire, bringing a tray of food to Naoto.

"Naoto-kun, why don't you have some food? You've been here for a day already..." said Yukiko, concerning about Naoto's condition.

"Umm..." Naoto was rather surprised by that before she thanked to Yukiko sheepishly "T-Thanks, Yukiko-senpai..."

"Anytime... hmm, I still have about an hour before my free time over. How about if we have a talk for a bit?" suggested Yukiko before she sat on a chair.

"Err... right..." replied Naoto nervously. "Hmm... how about your training, Yukiko-senpai?"

"Everything goes fine, except that... Ryoji-kun always making some weird stuff on us... I wish he'll never go too far..."

"Sounds fun..." Naoto smiled.

Then, both of them became silent. Although Naoto could be seen to be a little calm, to be truth, her inner self was performing tsukkomi.

_W-What should I do?! There's no way I could say to Yukiko-senpai that I love Souji-senpai!! What should I do?!_

Naoto took a quick glance to her senpai. Yukiko gave her a sweet and innocent smile.

_Absolutely not a choice to be made!! She'll never forgive me for the rest of her and my life, maybe even afterlife, if I tell her I like her boyfriend!!_

Then she became flustered, again. Her face reddened as she shook her head frantically.

"Are you alright, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto almost bolted from her seat as Yukiko asked her that question, with her usual concerned expression.

"O-Of course I'm alright!! Ahahahaha!!" Naoto tried to cover her nervousness, even though she seemed to be very flustered.

Without any warning, Yukiko stood up and took off Naoto's hat. She placed the blue hat beside the separated parts of Naoto's revolver before she put her forehead on Naoto's

"It's hot... are you feeling sick?" asked the raven-haired woman as she lifted her head from Naoto's. Naoto could be seen visibly blushed. Beads of sweat formed on the woman's forehead as tears began to gather on her eyes. She felt her heart was pounding hard as like it were to explode out from her chest.

"Naoto-kun?! Are you sick?!" Yukiko began to worry as she saw the usually-calm detective began to sob.

"I-I'm alright... I'm going to bathroom... see you..." Naoto tried to hide her crying face from Yukiko as she stood up and went out from the room.

"Naoto-kun..."

In a place where no mortal would ever dare to dwell, Amaterasu was sitting on a rock. Her eyes were closed and her face seemed solemn.

"Shirogane Naoto... vessel of my descendant, Yamato Takeru..."

She smiled faintly.

"She'll make a worthy owner of my Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi... like Amagi Yukiko who owned my Yata-no-Kagami..."

~darkness~

_**Now, let us see about Rise...**_

Rise was walking around Shopping District. As she walked around, she was wondering about something.

_Even Naoto likes senpai... sigh, really... senpai is truly a chick-magnet..._

Then she clenched her fists, as the sense of determination could be felt around the young woman.

_Then, I'm not going to give up!! I know it gonna be tough, but as long as Souji-kun's relationship with Yukiko-senpai still not come to a new level, there will always be a chance for any of us!!_

Then she continued to walk again. As Rise wanted to go to her senpai's hideout as fast as she could, she took a shortcut by walking through an alley. Suddenly, she was blocked by some street punks, who seemed to be not so friendly.

"Hey, what we 'ave 'ere?" one of the punks smirked as he walked towards the idol. "I know ya, teen idol Risette..."

Rise took some steps aback instinctively as she sensed something bad would happen, something that a seer like her could sense easily.

"So what?" asked Rise.

"She looks beautiful, just like what we've seen on TV... hey, wanna go with us?" then the other street punk with snowcap spoke with a grin.

"Get out of my way, scums!" demanded Rise with loud voice.

"Did she say us 'scums'? Dude, this bitch seems to 'ave gut..."

Rise tried to walk through them, but one of the punks grabbed her hand and pushed her to the wall. The woman winced slightly as her back was harshly touched the concrete wall.

"Hehehehe, don't worry, we're not going to 'urt ya..." said the punk. Rise closed her eyes, condemning her not-so-helpful courage.

"What's going on here?"

Rise opened her eyes as she heard that voice, which she thought that she had heard it before. She turned her head towards the voice and found a white-haired man, dressed in white suit.

"What do yer want?! Who are you?" asked one of the punks harshly.

"Just a random passerby... my my, what we have here... picking on a woman... do you guys don't even have pride?" the white-haired man walked towards the group of people casually. "And my pride doesn't allow this situation happens..."

"Hey, what the hell are you talkin..." before the punk could finish his sentence, a solid punch landed on his face, sending him flying backwards. Rise's eyes widened as she saw what had happened.

"Tch, total weaklings..." then the man looked at the remaining punks with icy and murderous glance. This glance made them shrunk and they ran away, dragging their unconscious comrade.

"Umm... thanks... wait, I think I've seen you before..." said Rise.

"Of course we are, Rise-san... are you injured?" the man walked towards the woman as he asked her that question. Rise shook her head.

"You're... Taiga(Tiger)-san..."

By hearing that incorrect name, a pair of imaginary cat ears popped out on the man's head comedically. The man sighed before he corrected it. "I'm Raiga, not Taiga... anyway, I'm glad you're okay..." the man smiled.

"Thank you..." Rise smiled appreciably. But, she never thought that the heaven had set a great fate to her by meeting the man.

~darkness~

_**Alright, let us see about what the opposite parties were doing...**_

Tsukuyomi was standing beside an elegant-looking dining table. A bottle of wine and some cups were arranged perfectly on the table. He looked towards the window and saw a crescent moon.

"Why I have to stay in darkness?" he muttered as he closed his crimson eyes. Then a face of someone he previously cherished appeared within his mind.

"Amaterasu..."

_Big bro!!! Look!!_

He recalled what had happened some centuries ago, when they were at Sacred Land. An image of a little girl, dressed in red kimono ran hurriedly to a boy who dressed in blue kimono.

_What had happened?_

_Big bro, look!! I've healed a little bird!!_

The girl opened her palm and a little bird was on her palm.

_He's injured... when I touched his wounded wing, suddenly his wound gone..._

The girl smiled triumphantly. The boy patted the girl's head.

_You're the one who gave him a life... your light represents 'life' and tenderness... something that I'm expecting from the Goddess of Sun..._

The girl looked at her brother.

_And... how about you, big bro? What about your light?_

The boy couldn't answer it and he couldn't do anything except gave his little sister a kind smile.

Then Tsukuyomi closed his eyes as the flashback ended. He smiled.

"Amaterasu, your light represents tenderness... but..." he looked at his palm "...my light represents falseness and sorrowness... something that we should expect from a Moon god..."

Tsukuyomi sighed.

"The heaven had set us to fight each other, my sister... a heavenly war cannot be avoided in this rate..."

_**And... did we forget about the third party? How about if we take a look on them...**_

A man with purple hair was reading a novel whereas a woman with cowboy hat was listening for some country music with her earphones.

"Charles..." then the woman with cowboy hat spoke.

"Hmm..." the man lifted his face. "What do you want, Vineyard?"

"It seems that we have the same power, but I wish I could see yours..." Vineyard took off his earphone.

"Hmm... alright..." Charles put his hand on his forehead before he muttered a word. "Amon..."

A humanoid creature appeared above the purple-haired man. The Persona had a silver mask on his face and he had a fire-like gear-shaped blade at his back. He had two crossbows in his hand.

"Primal Force..."

The Persona released a a green-coloured projectile from his bow. The suppressed force dashed towards the cowboy woman. The woman took off her hat and muttered "Asmodeus..."

As for that, a Persona, which was a beautiful woman, appeared above Vineyard. She had long brown hair which covered some parts of her topless feature; well not truly topless since she had some clothes covered her body. With a simple sidestep; Vineyard evaded Amon's attack before she muttered a word.

"Megidolaon..."

As for that, a stream of crimson vapors descended onto ground and hit everything on its path. As the vapors reduced, Charles dusted his jacket as like he had not been hit by anything before.

"You're great, Vineyard..." Charles gave the woman a compliment.

"You too..." Vineyard smiled slightly.

"What are both of you doing? You're making a great noise here..." then a male voice could be heard.

"You..." Charles looked at the newcomer. He was a thin man who only had on long trousers. His eyes were yellow, so like his long hair. He had some tattoos on his body.

"We're doing nothing..." answered Vineyard coldly. He stared at the yellow-haired man with utter disgust.

_He's a monster..._

"Yes, we're doing nothing... Takaya..."

~darkness~

_**Takaya? Have I heard that before? His name seems familiar to me... anyway, let us see about our hero, Seta Souji.**_

Minato couldn't believe what he had seen. Souji just cleaved a dozen of training dummies with his single plain katana, without using his Persona. Minato had seen a swording technique which has defied the law of physics. Those movements are utterly impossible to be made by mortal's effort, and yet Souji managed to make it.

"Seta-san, what a remarkable technique you've displayed..." Minato gave the silverette some claps.

"Well... it's nothing, compared to your technique..." said Souji humbly. "Anyway, I never thought I can do it..."

"Yes, it's a technique which has defied the law of nature... ah, since you have made four techniques, how about if you name them?"

"Name them?"

"Yup! Since it's your invention, you're the one who can name them..." said Minato.

"Hmm... I don't know... let me think about it some times..." said Souji.

"Go on..." Minato patted the silverette shoulder before he whispered to Souji ear "I wish I could feel the same just like you..."

"Huh?" Souji seemed confused.

"Anyway, good job... see you..." Minato went out from the training room and walked at the corridor.

As he walked at the corridor, suddenly he felt something painful on his chest. He coughed, this time harder before blood spurted out from his mouth. He panted as he wiped the blood.

"It's early than my expectation, Minato..."

Minato looked at the owner of that high-pitched voice and saw Ryoji.

"As what you have already known, your original body had undergone cremation, which making yourself a bodiless soul... since you wished to go to this world, I've created a substitute body for you with my blood as its main ingredient..."

"However, no matter how strong you are, you're still a human to begin with... your soul still can't fully synchronize with my Shadow blood, which making soul disturbance within your body... if you're still using your Persona, especially the strong one, my blood inside your body will go berserk and making the grasp of your soul inside this body weaken..."

"And if it continues... your soul will no longer capable to stick with this body and thus, my Shadow blood will assimilate your soul, destroying your soul within your body... it is a terrible fate, worse than the death itself..."

Minato's face was stern before he spoke.

"I don't mind if my soul is destroyed... as long as I still have enough time to assist Seta Souji, it would be fine... and in this heavenly war, no matter who will win, I'll be the one who lose..."

"Minato-kun!!" then Yukari came. "Can you help me at the kitchen?!"

"Of course, Yukari..." Minato smiled. "See you later, Ryoji..."

Both Minato and Yukari walked together towards the kitchen's direction. Ryoji who was seeing them leaned himself on the wall of the corridor. Then he sighed.

"Sigh... you never learn, Minato... it is not about what you should do before you die..." he took a quick glance to the brunette woman, Yukari. "It is a matter about what would happen if you die..."

Ryoji closed his eyes.

"Do you ever wish to see those who love you are being agonized again? Same like what had happened when you're gone?"

~darkness~

Finally, chapter 21 is completed.. I don't want to explain about this chapter as usual. And about the next chapter, I'll make about Cosplay Competition... well it's not really a Cosplay Competition since in that chapter, Chidori wished to get some Cosplay pictures for her Cosplay Cafe. Anyway, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	22. Takamagahara Taisen PART 1

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 22: Takamagahara Taisen PART 1

"Ryoji, how is it?" asked Minato to the raven-haired man with yellow scarf who was writing something with his blackish Shadow blood on the wall. The writings seemed to be like ancient inscriptions.

"It's almost done..." replied Ryoji, without looking at his partner. The nurse-teacher, Edogawa was observing the black-haired man with awe.

"Wow, I never thought I'll see something like this..." said Edogawa with bated breath.

"This is called 'sorcery', something that you would expect from a lousy final boss of a certain RPGs... I'll try to create a portal which enables us to enter TV world without using the television... I've spend about three days on observing the characteristics of the portal and I found that it's same just like creating a hidden dimension like Dark Hour..." explained Ryoji. Then he stopped writing the inscriptions. "It's done... now it's the time to connect this portal to Midnight Channel..."

As for that, he put his right hand in the middle of the writing as he concentrated his magic power into his right hand. Then, the black writings suddenly turned into glowing silver and a screen-like portal was materialized.

"Alright, and the destination is the same place like TV that we used at Junes..." said Ryoji.

"Then, our final preparation is completed... now for our mission, I'll let Seta know about this... Ryoji, call others and ask them to gather at this place..."

~darkness~

"Raiga-san, what's your occupation?" asked Rise to the white-haired man. The man frowned.

"Well... I'm currently unemployed here, I'm still searching for a suitable job for me... and I've a sister, she's cute, you know..."

Rise laughed as Raiga talked in joking manner. Although he might seem distant, actually he's friendly like Souji. Talk about Souji...

"Raiga-san... do you like someone?"

"Like? Talk about like, I like you..." Raiga answered straightforwardly. Rise laughed again, considering it as a joke.

"You're funny..." commented the red-haired idol. "Well... actually, I like someone... or rather, I love someone..."

Raiga listened to the woman intently. "Could you please tell me about that lucky guy? You know, just to make fun of you..."

"Hmm... first, he's strong... all his friends rely on him..."

"Sounds like a good guy..."

"Then, he's also very calm... another reason for his friends to rely on him..."

"What a good guy he is..."

"And... he's also a handsome man... many girls fall in love with him..."

"He's totally a chick magnet..."

"Haha... but... he's already in love with a friend of mine... if I knew him earlier, I might still have a chance..."

"Don't worry, Rise-san... you know, it's good to be young..."

Suddenly, Rise's cellphone rang. Frantically, she took out the gadget and put it on her right ear.

_Rise-san, it's time for mission... see you two hours later..._

That was Naoto.

"Alrighty... see ya!!"

Then she looked at Raiga, apologetically of course.

"Sorry, Raiga-san... it seems that I've something to be attended of... see ya!!" as for that, Rise walked away. Raiga looked at Rise who was walking away.

"Strong, calm and charming... hmm... you are nothing but a lucky guy, Seta Souji..."

~darkness~

In the hidden hideout...

"Alright, let us check our equipments... although we're going into TV world to investigate Tsukuyomi's intention, but there's a high chance to engage a battle with him and his henchmen.... so, after checking our equipments, we'll go inside..." explained Minato.

"We'll not use a TV this time?" asked Teddie as he wore his bear suit.

"No... Instead, we're using an alternative portal which is created by Ryoji but the location is still the same as the TV which we always use..."

Akihiko was checking his revolver before Ryoji came and gave him a silver gun.

"What is this?" asked the white-haired police officer.

"I know your new power... if you continue to use a normal gun, it might shatter into pieces... this gun has higher durability in withstanding your new power... use it wisely, senpai..."

"Well... thanks, Ryoji..."

As all of them finally finished their final check, Ryoji stepped forward in front of the portal. He placed his hand on the screen-like portal before his hand seemed to be sucked into it.

"Alright, let's go... Edogawa-sensei, I think you should stay here..." said Minato.

"Y-Yeah... since there's nothing I can help much..." replied the teacher sheepishly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, sensei..." the bluenette patted the teacher's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

Thus, their adventure started again...

~darkness~

"Are they coming?" asked the cloaked man on the moon-shaped throne to the pink-haired woman in jumpsuit beside him.

"Affirmative, Tsukuyomi-sama... today, I'll crush them into pieces, especially that Amagi bitch..." the Adjutant of Wind spoke.

"Pffph! You're quite hasty, Kaze... I never thought you'll be like this..." said Homura with mocking tone. Kazematsuri glared to the red-haired man with a piercing gaze.

"Enough with your bickering, Kazematsuri... Homura... we'll start it soon..." said Raiga with monotonous voice. Sui who was standing beside him just stayed silent. "And are you sure to use it?" he asked his master.

"This is a heavenly war and this kind of war should be occurred in heaven... in Celestial Heaven Plain... besides, we also can use this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone..."

Tsukuyomi took out a file with the picture of Kujikawa Rise on it. He looked at it before he smirked.

"I wonder if ransom works on them, especially in this holy land of Takamagahara?

~darkness~

"Whoa... this place is far creepier than the last time..." exclaimed Kanji as he looked around him. Rise had just found the path some moments ago and it far more twisted than any dungeon that they had ever encountered.

"But... there's no Shadow could be found..." said the blonde android.

"This is a path which was created by the sheer power of Tsukuyomi which connect the TV world to heavenly body, just like Izanami when she connect the path of Yomi with TV world... it just sounds like I've said before, right? Lousy boss from some lousy RPGs..." explained Ryoji casually with a joke in the end of his explanation.

"Ryoji-kun, I don't think this is a suitable time for a joke..." reprimanded Fuuka gently.

Soon after that, they finally arrived in front of a massive and gigantic door with ancient writings on it. Symbols of sun and moon decorated the majestic door, which made Yukiko subconsciously twitched by seeing it.

"I can sense a person behind the door, he might probably Tsukuyomi..." said Rise.

"Alright, let us stick with our original plan... we might encounter Tsukuyomi afterwards, so some of us must go to certain parts of this dungeon to investigate the nature of this world and Tsukuyomi's goal..." ordered Minato as he took out his majestic silver rapier.

"Let's do this!" Souji unwrapped the cloth which was covering his sword, Tamayorihime. Ryoji grinned as he looked at the ancient sword.

"What a fancy sword you have, Souji-kun..." commented Ryoji as he saw Souji's sword before he summoned his silver sword.

"It took hours to make it done with Deidara…" said Souji.

"Oh, that old man with scar on his face, right? He's good if it comes to this…" Then Ryoji looked at his pupil, Yukiko "Yukiko-ojouchan, stay beside Chie most of the time...",.Chie, please protect her, okay?"

"Right, I'll protec... wait? What do you call her, Ojouchan?!" before she could finish her nod of agreement, suddenly she realized what Ryoji had called to Yukiko.

"Yup, Yukiko-ojouchan... is that wrong?" asked Ryoji.

"Why in the hell you call her like that?!" Chie answered Ryoji's question with another question.

"Well... since I have found out that I should address people in our group appropriately... so, there it is..." answered Ryoji nonchalantly.

"If you guys have enough with your lousy jokes, shall we continue?" asked Minato with sarcasm.

"Right!" Yukiko took out her double fans with the symbol of sun emblazoned on them.

"Duh... of course we're ready..." said Jumpei as he tightened his grip on his heavy sword.

"Alright!! Bring it on!!" the ethusiastic Yosuke spun his black daggers in his hands. Some newly-healed scars could be seen on his face, indicating the gruesome trainings which he had gone through.

As for Yukari, she didn't speak anything as she readied her bow and arrows.

"To be truth, this feeling is kinda thrilling for me..." said Mitsuru as she tapped her saber on her palm.

"Me too... I never thought it could come into something like this..." Naoto reloaded her revolver.

"I gonna crush all of 'em!!" Kanji's spirit seemed to be burning. Like others, he also seemed different than usual.

"Today is a bear-y important day for us! Now, I'll fight too!!" our Teddie also seemed to be spirited.

"Teddie-san, although I can't truly accept your beary puns..." Ken put his spear on his own shoulder "...you're right... I'll do my best today!!"

"Good, Ken... that's what I want to hear from you..." said Akihiko with a triumphant smile. He holstered both his Evoker and silver revolver in separate holsters.

"I guess it can't be helped... I'm ready..." sighed Chie.

Koromaru moved his tail and panted as he butted his head on Aigis' leg.

"Koromaru-san is also ready to go..." the blonde gynoid looked at the bluenette leader "Shall we proceed?"

Minato closed his eyes before he touched the door.

"Let's go..."

~darkness~

Persona-users from both SEES and Investigation Squad were facing the lone figure with grey hair and red eyes. Then, he clapped his hands, seemingly congratulating the arrival of the groups.

"Well done, children of human... anyway, welcome to Takamagahara..." Tsukuyomi spoke.

"Takamagahara?" said Ken, seemingly not familiar with that name.

"Celestial Heaven Plain, the place where the heavenly beings, ruled by Izanagi, descended... I have read about it from Kojiki..." said Naoto.

"True, true... you're quite informative, Shirogane Naoto... it might probably explain why your inner psyche manifests Yamato Takeru as your mask... I'm truly fascinated..." clapped Tsukuyomi. Naoto might probably attack him if he used the phrase 'other self' instead of 'inner psyche' which might remind her of her twisted dark self.

"Tsukuyomi, fighting is not our primary objective here... we come here to investigate your goal..." then the silverette leader, Souji spoke. His hand was already on Tamayorihime's hilt, readied to be unsheathed from its scabbard, if Tsukuyomi dared to make any suspicious move.

"Same here, Seta Souji... our primary goal to kill you had failed and we are also same just like you, wanting to figure something out... but if you insisted to obtain the truth, the prize might be beneath one of the doors behind..." Tsukuyomi gestured to four doors behind him.

Tsukuyomi closed his crimson eyes before his body seemed to fade away.

"I'm expecting something from all of you, children of human... especially you, Seta Souji, Vessel of Izanagi..." that were his last words before he completely vanished.

"...now... what?" asked Chie.

"I think it might be a trap... but he's probably not entirely lying... how about if we separate into four different groups? Fuuka-san and Rise-san have to stay here to connect us with each others... we can inform everyone if something happen to any of us..." suggested Naoto.

"That sounds cool, Naoto-kun... but if anything happen to us, what should we do?" the green-haired woman, Fuuka asked.

"I'll stay here with you two... is that acceptable, Minato-san?" Naoto looked at the bluenette leader.

"We're counting on you, Shirogane-kun... and... boy, come here..." Minato called the white canine. He petted the white dog's head tenderly. "Koro-chan, you will stay here to assist Shirogane-kun to protect Fuuka and Rise... I'm counting on you too..."

"Arf!!" the dog barked enthusiastically.

"Koromaru-san says 'I'll do my best!!'..." translated Aigis.

"Good... now this is the plan..."

~darkness~

"Kujikawa-san, we don't find any abnormal activity within this perimeter..." reported the red-haired chairwoman to the red-haired idol telepathically. She was accompanied with Ken, Yukari and Kanji.

"Whoa... no wonder why Minato-san asked her to be our leader in here..." mused Kanji.

"Isn't that obvious? She's ruling over one gigantic corporation in Japan and one of dominating corporations in the world... sometimes, charismatic can be inherited..." said Ken with a sigh.

"Haha, Ken-kun... you sound like a 50-year-old man already..." commented the brunette woman, Yukari as she ruffled the brunette hair of the boy.

"Hey Yukari-san, stop treating me like a little kid already!!" protested Ken as he pushed the woman's ruffling hand.

_Guys... I've found something in front of you... I hope that's not Tsukuyomi..._

"Fuuka, please locate our position!!" ordered Mitsuru as she readied her saber to attack the alien presence.

_That's too close... I believe it's already in front of you!!_

"Mabufula!!"

Without any warning, a barrage of ice crystals emerged from the floor and nearly struck them. Fortunately, Mitsuru diligently grabbed her Evoker and summoned Artemisia to block the freezing ice.

"What the?" exclaimed Kanji, utterly shocked by the sudden attack. Then, a young girl with turquoise hair, dressed in black frilly dress came out with an icy rapier in her hand.

"You... you're that girl!!" Ken pointed his finger towards the newcomer, indicating that he knew her.

"Ken... you know her?" asked Mitsuru.

"I'm glad that you're still recognizing me, Amada-sama... do you still remember what I had said before? I would like to fight you... fair and square... and this time, it seems that I've got that opportunity..." said the woman. "Ah, before I forget, may I introduce myself again... my name is Sui, Adjutant of Ice of Tsukuyomi-sama... and welcome to the heavenly realm of Takamagahara..."

"I saw her after my fight with that Homura guy... I think she's strong..." whispered Ken but his voice could be heard by others.

"I know... I had fought her before..." Mitsuru recalled her fight with that adjutant.

"Alright, well then, shall we begin?"

~darkness~

_Ryoji-kun!! Mitsuru-senpai's group is facing an unidentified enemy!!_

"What? How fast!" exclaimed Ryoji who was leading Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko. "Fuuka-san, please connect us to them!!" he demanded.

_I'm sorry... they're currently in the midst of fight right now..._

Ryoji groaned before he looked at his members. "Change in tactic, we shall go to give aid to Mitsuru's group!! They're in the middle of battle!!"

"Roger!!" replied Yukiko.

"I presume that you're late to give them assistance, mortals..."

All of them turned their attention to the feminine voice and found a pink-haired woman with blue jumpsuit. She played a pair of kunais in her hands.

"You!!" by seeing the woman who previously fought him, Yosuke's face turned serious.

"Ohh... it seems that your beloved leader isn't here..." said Kazematsuri with mocking tone. "Today, I'll crush all of you, especially you, Amagi Yukiko!!"

Thus, the battle began.

~darkness~

"It seems that Ryoji's group and Mitsuru's group are in trouble..." commented Akihiko nonchalantly. Among all groups, only he was alone. It's not like that it was Mitsuru's command, but since he himself wanted to do it.

"Tch, you're kinda badass guy, Akihiko..." said the red-haired adjutant, Homura. "Daring to come here alone... I'm not sure that you're too brave or too silly to do such this thing..."

Akihiko took out two guns from their holsters, Evoker and special revolver respectively. As he put the end of the Evoker on his forehead with his left hand, he aimed the revolver towards Homura.

"This is a battle between two men, no aids, no supports... just two of us..." said Akihiko solemnly.

"You totally have guts, Sanada Akihiko... I wonder if your strength is equivalent with you courage..." as for that, Homura's right hand transmogrified into a very sharp blade whereas his left hand turned into a heavy machine gun.

"You'll see it..." Akihiko closed his eyes before he opened it, revealing two shiny blue orbs. Simultaneously, he pressed the triggers of both his Evoker and revolver.

"Persona!!"

~darkness~

_Oh no!! All groups are in the middle of battles!! Minato-san,, are your group still alright?!_

"We're still okay... please give them support!!" replied Minato telephatically to Rise.

"What we should do, Minato-san?" asked Aigis.

"Seta-san, Aigis, ... both of you shall go back to give Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai's group... I think Ryoji's group will be okay... Junpei and me will continue to investigate this place..."

"I think it wouldn't be necessary... they're doing their best, why you're always looking down on your comrades?"

Minato, Souji and Aigis were surprised by hearing the male voice. They found a white-haired bespectacled man with white suit. He grinned smugly as they looked at the trio.

"Raiga?!"

_Raiga-san?! What?! What are you doing there?_

That was Rise.

_Don't tell me that you're a part of them?_

"Sadly, yes... Kujikawa Rise... I'm one of the adjutants of Tsukuyomi-sama, I'm Adjutant of Thunder, Raiga..." Raiga seemed to be able to break through their telepathic connection.

"We'll fight you if you wish... Raiga..." said Minato as he pointed his rapier towards the adjutant.

"Well... I'm interested in fighting Seta Souji-kun..." demanded Raiga.

"If you wish..." Souji stepped forward as he unsheathed Tamayorihime.

"Souji-san, I think it is a trap!!" Aigis tried to prevent his from fighting alone, but Minato placed his hand on Aigis' shoulder.

"Let him be... he's stronger than me..." said Minato. "And I wonder about his new skills after all…"

~darkness~

Holla, it's me again. Anyway, I'm completely saddened because there's only two readers who read Chapter 21. Oh well, I hope this chapter will change that situation. Actually, I'm currently in Writer's Block and I don't have any idea on how I could continue this story. Pffth, whatever... and that cosplay thingy, I'll do it in other chapters ahead. I hope you like it. After all, read and review!!!

Albireo Imma

A story to be shared...

Chapter 00: Stay Away From Water

One day, there were two fish inside a river. One of them were seemingly injured.

Fish1: Hey, you look sick...

Fish2: I've wounded my fin when I was cooking...

Fish1: This is bad. You should see a doctor...

Thus, the sick fish went to see a fish doctor in the end of the river.

Fish Doctor: It just a small cut... there(give the fish a cream)... apply this on your wound everyday...

Fish2: Thanks, doc... hey, will my wound be completely healed?

Fish Doctor: Of course, as long as you stay away from water...

Fish2: ^%#*&(*%(^%

I hope you like it... (just a silly thought of mine)


	23. Takamagahara Taisen PART 2

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 23: Takamagahara Taisen PART 2

Rise's eyes were wide open, not believing what she had see just now. She could not believe that Raiga himself was one of Tsukuyomi's adjutants.

"No way... how could he..." squeaked the red-haired woman weakly.

_Rise-san, can you hear me? I'm sorry for my betrayal... I'm just carrying out my master's order... it will end soon after this... whether me or Seta Souji... one of us shall die..._

"No, no... This can't be true... Raiga-san, just tell me, it's just a joke or something..." pleaded Rise, almost crying.

_Maybe I like to joke, but in this case... I'm not joking... I'm truly sorry, Rise-san... rather than pleading to me, how about if you give Seta Souji some assistance?_

"Raiga-san..."

_Goodbye, Kujikawa Rise..._

~darkness~

"Okay, I'm done for that... let's us begin, Seta Souji..." Raiga loosened his necktie as he put on his black gauntlets. Some sparks of electricity could be visibly seen as he put on his gauntlets.

"How could you know Rise?" asked Souji as he assumed his swording stance.

"She's just an acquaintance of mine... you shouldn't worry about that much..." replied Raiga casually before he readied his kenpo stance. "Anyway, ready to feel the power of mine, Raiga, Adjutant of Thunder of Tsukuyomi, The Moon Deity..."

"Anytime, Raiga... anytime..." answered Souji coldly. Minato, Aigis and Junpei became the spectators of the soon-will-begin battle. Then, Aigis realized that something or rather someone was missing.

"Where's Teddie? He's supposed to be in our group, right?"

~darkness~

"Caesar!!"

The Persona of Emporer Arcana emerged again and fired a series of electricity rays towards Homura. The adjutant barely dodged the vicious strikes from the rampaging Persona and Persona-user. Before Homura could think for any counterattack, Akihiko used his special revolver. Instead of a bullet, a ray of electricity was fired out from the end of the weapon. The shot hit Homura's shoulder.

"Urgh!!" the red-haired adjutant groaned in pain as he felt the paralyzing shot which had hit his shoulder. "You son of a bitch..."

"You're Homura, aren't you? You're the one who almost killed Ken, right?" asked the white-haired Persona-user with such a menacing tone before he holstered both his revolver and Evoker. Then, he assumed his boxing stance as sparks of electricity could be seen on his body.

"So what?" asked Homura before he dashed forward and used his blade-hand to slash Akihiko. Rather than slashing Akihiko's body, his blade was just striking the thin air, much to his surprise. Before he could realize it, Akihiko was already behind him.

"I won't give you a proper way of death, scum..." as for that, a solid punch was directly hitting Homura's face, sending him flying forwards before crashing onto the marble wall.

"Did I overdo it?" asked Akihiko as he looked at his palm.

"You... human trash... how could you hit my face..." then Homura stood back with his seemingly bruised face. His yellow eyes seemed to be very menacing as purple aura could be seen from his body.

"I won't forgive you!!" he shouted before some kind of purple cocoon engulfed his body. Then, a massive lizard-like monster emerged from the cocoon.

"What the?" Akihiko took some steps aback as he saw the absolute change of his opponent.

"Die!!" the now monsterised Homura breathed out a massive fire onto Akihiko. Found nothing he could do to protect himself, Akihiko covered his face with his hands.

"Kamui!!"

Thanks for that new voice, a bear-like Persona emerged from nowhere and casted a wall of ice, preventing the wild fire to burn Akihiko.

"Phew... that's beary close..." then a bear-like creature emerged. "Mr Akihiko, are you alright?"

"Teddie? Don't you suppose to be in Minato's group? What are you doing here?" asked Akihiko as he scowled.

"I also have something to be made with that lizard-guy over there..." answered Teddie.

"Thanks, Ted... now let us attack him!!"

Teddie stood in front of Akihiko with an offensive stance as a blue card appeared in front of him. Instead of crushing it with his claw, Teddie caught the card with his hand.

"I'll use this new power which I've created myself..." said Teddie before the card scattered itself, forming into a blue masquerade half-mask. He raised the new object onto his forehead before he put it on his head.

As the mask touched his forehead, some surge of energy was emitted by his very own body before his bear outfit scattered, leaving his human form behind. The blue mask was now covering half of his face. After the completion of his transformation, he observed his now transmogrified body.

"It's feeling good..." stated the now humanized Teddie. His majestic blue eyes could be seen glowing within the eye sockets of his mask. Then, he raised his hand and some kind of silver claw appeared on his hand.

"I call this as 'Kamui Form'... a enhanced version of Persona Kamui... thanks to Ryoji, I managed to achieve this form..." said Teddie as he observed his silver claw. "Alright, it goes nothing, Kamui!!"

He summoned his Persona, Kamui as he crashed his card with his claw. As the Persona appeared, he casted a series of massive iceberg, more powerful than before, freezing Homura's demonized body entirely.

~darkness~

"Teddie's power's suddenly changing... what's happening actually?" asked Rise as she felt the enormous change of her bear comrade.

"Teddie's power is evolving? No wonder he was nowhere to be found for the past five days..." commented Naoto who was standing beside Rise.

"Arf!!" agreed Koromaru.

~darkness~

"What? It can't be happening!!" exclaimed Kazematsuri as she felt that Homura was defeated. Before she could do anything, Yosuke dashed forward and before she could take any step to avoid Yosuke's attack, the dagger-wielding brunette man was already in front of her.

"Where are you looking at?" asked Yosuke before he swung his daggers downwards, wounding both Kazematsuri's hands which were used to block the daggers from injuring her body. Before she could do any counterattack, Chie attacked from behind her with her kick.

"Urgh!!" Kazematsuri moved her arm, blocking the upcoming attack from Chie.

"Yosuke-kun, Chie, get out from there, now!!"

Suddenly, Yukiko jumped high with the aid of her Yata-no-Kagami as her fans flared with crimson fire.

"Amaterasu-no-Mikoto!!" she swiped both her fan. An ethereal being emerged from the blazing fire which was ignited by Yukiko's flame. The ethereal figure, resembling Persona Amaterasu, dashed forward with the addition of fiery features towards Kazematsuri. Yosuke and Chie escaped from Amaterasu's path before the majestic fiery Persona collided with Kazematsuri.

"Wargh!!" shrieked Kazematsuri as most of her body was burned by Amaterasu's wild fire. She tried to extinguish the fire using her wind, but Yosuke came forth and stabbed Kazematsuri's torso before he summoned Susano-O to cast a heavy force of Garudyne. The strong gust of wind pushed the adjutant behind and sent her flying towards the wall.

"Whoa... Yosuke, since when you can do that move?" asked Chie, astonished.

"Ya know, I'm not getting these scars just for show..." replied Yosuke as he gestured to the scar marks on his face. "Anyway, Yukiko, that's utterly awesome... I never know that Amaterasu can do that..."

"Well, thanks for Ryoji-kun of course..." Yukiko seemed to be blushing.

Ryoji who was becoming the spectator just smiled as he saw those youngsters managed to defeat one of Tsukuyomi's adjutants.

Suddenly, Kazematsuri emerged from the debris with her clothes tattered and some wound marks could be seen visibly on her body. Her yellow eyes were glowing, indicating how angry she was.

"This is unacceptable... to be defeated by mere mortals... you shall perish!!" then she was engulfed by purple cocoon. Then, she emerged from the cocoon as a giant black swan. Yukiko's eyes widened as she still could remember their last battle.

"Die!!"

Before Yukiko could cast Yata-no-Kagami onto them, the monster fired several arrows which seemed to be the suppressed air from its mouth towards Yukiko. The arrows hit both Yukiko's hands which were holding her iron-laced fans. The fans were sent backwards as her hands wounded.

"Uhh!!" she felt the pain on her hands. Yukiko tried to stop the blood which was flowing out from her wounds.

"Yukiko!!" Chie ran towards her friend but the demonized Kazematsuri fired an invisible attack, same like the previous attack, was a kind of suppressed air towards the brunette woman. Chie was sent flying by the attack.

"What the!?" Yosuke was rather surprised by the sudden change of their opponent's strength. Before he could do anything, Kazematsuri hit the brunette man with a swipe of her wing, sending him towards the same direction as Chie.

"Gaah!!" Yosuke's body thudded on the white marble floor beside Chie who was seemingly injured by previous attack. Yukiko tried to pick herself up and went towards her fallen comrades.

"All shall perish!!" Kazematsuri opened her beaked mouth as some kind of Almighty energy concentrated inside her mouth. After that, she fired towards the group of fallen opponents.

"Moonless Gown!!"

Kazematsuri's eyes were widened as something or rather someone was blocking her attack. As the dust reduced, a raven-haired man with a long yellow scarf which wrapped his neck was standing in front of the trio with a heavy silver sword in his right hand. His eyes were glowing with such a majestic yet ghostly blue.

"Sheesh... another trash..." grunted Kazematsuri with her demonised voice.

"Trash? I wonder who that is. Anyway, my reason to be in the same team as Yukiko-ojouchan is to see her progress, I never decide to fight in very first place... but since you've hurt her, I just can't stand idly and do nothing..."

Some kind of black particles began to appear around Ryoji's body before the particles formed into six blue tarot cards.

"I'll let you see the terror of The Trump With No Name..." said Ryoji with menacing tone. Then, the cards floated in midair before they scattered into blue particles.

"Ghoul, Pale Rider, Loa, Samael, Mot and Alice... six Personas of Death Arcanas... I wonder if you can withstand their wrath..."

The mentioned Personas, Ghoul, Pale Rider, Loa, Samael, Mot and Alice appeared around Ryoji as some kind of runic mark appeared on the floor where Ryoji was standing. Ghoul looked around before he screamed with such demonic voice, Pale Rider laughed maniacally as he slashed his scythe around, the snake on Loa's head was hissing with such a nightmarish tone, Samael looked at the surprised Kazematsuri before he roared with his beast-like voice, a moaning sound could be heard from Mot's coffin and the little girl, namely Alice, took a quick glance towards the swan-like monster as well as the trio with the eyes which had the same shade as Ryoji's.

"The time has come... Death awaits you..."

~darkness~

"Ziodyne!!" Ken summoned Kala Nemi and casted a massive thunderbolt towards Sui. But the turquoise-haired adjutant just dodged it with a simple side-step. Then, a flurry of arrows was fired towards her. Lazily, Sui swayed her hand and a wall of ice emerged from the ground, preventing the arrows from hitting her.

"She's too strong..." commented Yukari as she panted. Some light gashes could be seen on her arms and face, indicating that she was injured by Sui's attack before.

"I agree with you, Yukari..." nodded Mitsuru, trying to find a solution to defeat the adjutant.

"She's a tough one..." stated Kanji, seemingly tired as well. Some ice flakes were sticking on his shoulder, proving that he might be attacked by Sui's ice attack.

"How we can defeat her?" it seemed that Ken was tired as well. His previous Ziodyne attack was failed and he might have drained most of his energy.

Then, Sui looked at other directions before she sighed.

"It seems that Homura and Kazematsuri are in utter trouble... I should finish this battle quickly..." after that, much to the Persona users' surprise, a blue card appeared on Sui's palm. "You know, besides being a Shadow, I possess something more unique than other adjutants..."

Then, she was surrounded by blue light before she crushed the card with her head as she muttered a word which made four of Persona user's shocked.

"Persona..."

The card turned into shards of blue particles, spiraling around her before they were forming into an ethereal being. The feature of the new being made all of them, especially Mitsuru, gasped.

"I'm expecting that reaction, especially from you, Kirijo-sama... it just happens that my Persona's name is..."

A Persona which resembled a woman with a whip appeared above Sui. Unlike Mitsuru could remember, her color was red with blue mask, unlike hers which is blue and have a red mask.

"Artemisia..."

~darkness~

It seemed that there was a heated battle between Souji and Raiga. With the impossible speed a human could achieve, Souji made some confusing moves before he attacked the white-haired adjutant by using his katana, Tamayorihime. But the ancient sword managed to be blocked by Raiga's hand.

"You're quite good, Seta Souji..." praised Raiga as he pushed the sword forward with his hand.

"You too, Raiga... then I shall use this technique..." Souji sheathed back his sword into its scabbard before assuming iaijutsu stance. A pale image of Izanami-no-Okami emerged behind him.

"What with this ridiculous-leveled power? Is that truly Souji-senpai?" Rise who was looking at the battle spoke with amazement as she could detect the enormous power flowing out from Souji's very own being.

"He'll use it... one of the techniques he created. It's a technique which defies the law of Physics..." said Minato as he observed the combatants.

"Let the shower of the autumn washes away the sin of yours, Adjutant of Thunder..." said Souji as some kind of terrifying aura emerged from his body.

"Hmm... how curious..." Raiga readied himself with his kenpo stance, ready to receive the attack from Souji.

"Autumn Shower!!"

As for that, Souji pulled out his sword and dashed forward with such a lightning speed. Raiga was initially surprised by the sudden change before he realized that Souji was already behind him. Raiga spun behind and threw a punch onto Souji. Unfortunately, he was just punching an illusion of Souji.

"The rain of death has come..."

Souji appeared in front of Raiga and he swiped his sword which was charged by electricity. Reflexively, Raiga activated his Thunder Fist and punched the upcoming blade. As for that, a big explosion occurred.

Within the explosion, Souji could see nothing except dust and debris. Then he felt that he was sucked into another dimension. Rather than into the Velvet Room, he found himself inside a palace.

"Izanagi..."

Souji turned his head and found a very familiar woman to him. It was a beautiful yet elegant woman with the silvery gray hair, the same shade as his hair. She dressed in shiny white silk kimono. But the most striking feature which Souji never forget was a pair of crimson eyes.

"Izanami?"

Then, another figure came. It was a man who closed his eyes. His face resembled Souji's but his silver hair was a little longer than his. He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of eyes which possessed the same color as Izanami's. He smiled towards Izanami with such a kind smile before the woman rushed towards the man and hugged him.

"Sorry to make you worry, Izanami..." spoke the man with soft voice.

"It's alright, Izanagi... it's alright..." replied Izanami happily.

_He's... Izanagi?_

Suddenly, Souji felt himself had returned back into the battlefield. Without wasting any time, he jumped backwards, away from the explosion's debris. He readied himself for any surprise attack.

"That is wonderful, Seta Souji... very wonderful... I never thought you would have this kind of technique..." as for that, Raiga emerged from the dust with some wound marks on his torso and hands. It seemed that the attack worked. "You're the second person who managed to wound me after Sanada Akihiko..."

"That was a fluke... you managed to block most of my attacks back there... you're the first one who remain survive after being hit by Autumn Shower... all training dummies I used were torn into pieces..." said Souji.

"Good grief... what an honest person you are... is that a proper way to say something after wounding someone's body? Anyway, dummies don't block the attack..." replied Raiga with a smirk.

"Yeah, you certainly right for that... anyway, I still don't use the power into its full extent... I afraid that I might destroy Takamagahara if I use it with my full power..." explained Souji.

"You're an interesting person, Seta Souji... then, I'll not hold myself either..." he touched his wound before the blood froze into a crimson blade. He pulled it out and the crimson blade became a red katana. "Besides being good when unarmed, I'm also good if I'm using weapon..."

"Well then..." Souji raised his sword at the same level as his head. "Let's start it again..."

~darkness~

Meanwhile, Tsukuyomi who was observing the battle via screens just resting himself on his majestic throne.

"I see... you're quite strong now, Seta Souji... but..."

Tsukuyomi took a quick look at a screen which was focusing Rise's face.

"I wonder if she would like to be attended now."

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. I found that there is so little number of readers who read my fanfic. Well, that's not a big problem, as long as there are some people read my fanfic. Anyway, I'm currently recovering from my fever (it is not Influenza, okay?) and I need some times before I can return to my usual pace. Anyway, read and review, okay?

Albireo Imma


	24. Takamagahara Taisen PART 3

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 23: Takamagahara Taisen PART 3 (end of Tsukuyomi's Arc)

In a place which exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, Velvet Room, both Igor's assistants, the sisters Margaret and Elizabeth were standing beside their master. Both of them seemed to realize that the room would undergo a sudden change as they felt something was not right.

"Master..." Margaret's voice made Igor's closed eyes opened. "Sorry for asking, but what exactly will happen on this place anyway?"

Igor chuckled before he spoke. "Ah... so you've realized it... you're quite sharp as always, my dear Margaret... I presume that two of you already know why this place had to exist?"

"This place, Velvet Room, exist between dream and reality, mind and matter... the shape of this place is created based on our guest's heart..."then Elizabeth spoke.

"Exactly! You're right for that, my dear Elizabeth... this place appeared because of our guest's upcoming journey, and in this case, our guests... it seems that they will encounter a sudden change in their adventure and more mysteries and misfortunes will be imposed upon them... everything will be changed, except..." then Igor stopped and looked at his assistants expectantly.

"Our duty..." it was Margaret who completed Igor's sentence. "Our duty is to give assistance to our guest to brave their journey... am I missing something?"

"You're totally right for that!" Igor smirked triumphantly and spoke joyfully as Margaret correctly completed his sentence. "We are essentially on the right track for now. Yes, our duty is to provide some help for our guest so they can use the full potential of their endless power to face the upcoming catastrophe which is far greater than in their last adventures..."

Suddenly, the elevator-like room stopped from moving upwards and the clock which never tells the time, stopped revolving. Some loud clicks could be heard as the light in the room changed its color. Both Elizabeth and Margaret were startled by the sudden change of the room. After that, some pieces of the room began to detach from their places.

"Ah, it seems it already begins..." said Igor smugly. "It's advisable for you two to not make any movement..."

The pieces separated from their places and recombined with others to form a new structure like a massive puzzle. The whole Velvet Room underwent its change but the floor where Igor's luxurious chair was situated and where Margaret and Elizabeth were standing, were unchanged.

As the final piece of the room finally merged with the new structure, Igor took a good look on the new image of Velvet Room. The new Velvet Room resembled a library with thousands books, common and peculiar alike. Igor was sitting on his majestic blue chair behind the library counter as his assistants were standing beside him, viewing the entire place with awe.

Then Igor looked at a darkened section of the library-like place before he chuckled.

"This time, the truth that they must find will be obscured by their own darkness..."

Then, two books with different colors which were blue and yellow, appeared magically on the counter. After that, a bottle of black ink with a white quill appeared in a same fashion as the books. Smirking, Igor reached the quill with his gloved hand and readying himself to start writing.

"Well then... how should I begin their story this time?"

~darkness~

As the blonde young man with masquerade half-mask on his face managed to freeze the lizard-like monster with his newfound power, suddenly he felt a sudden pain in his chest. He kneeled onto floor and the majestic half-mask on his face dissipated into blue particles.

"Teddie!" Akihiko rushed to the human form of Teddie.

"Uhh... it's painful than I thought..." grunted Teddie as he picked himself and stood back on his feet. "I'm alright... more importantly, we should get rid of this guy..." he looked at the frozen monster.

"Alright, let me do it!!" Akihiko clenched his fists and electricity sparks could be seen from his hands. He reached his Evoker and shot his forehead.

"Caesar!!"

Caesar, the Persona of Emporer Arcana who is wielding a sword and a globe-like object in his hands appeared and casted a massive Ziodyne onto the frozen Homura. It was a direct hit and an explosion occurred.

As the dust and debris finally thinned, both Akihiko and Teddie could see Homura, lying motionlessly on the ground and he seemed heavily injured. Akihiko went towards him to check whether he's alive or not.

"Are you thinking I'm dead?"

Akihiko's eyes widened as he heard that voice when he was about a meter from the lying man. Instinctively, he jumped backwards but in a split second, Homura got up and used his bladed hand to attack Akihiko. The slash managed to wound Akihiko's torso.

"What the?!" although the wound wasn't deep, it managed to distract Akihiko. Blood could be seen coming out from his wound and staining his white shirt under his suit with bloody color.

"If you think you win, you're wrong!!" yelled Homura furiously despite his injuries. "I'll not let a mere mortal like you defeating me, Homura the adjutant of great Tsukuyomi-sama!!"

"Tch!!" Akihiko took off his suit and tossed his revolver aside. He assumed a boxing stance as he spoke. "Alright, no fancy trick like that lizard anymore... this is between you and me. I'll make sure that you'll be defeated."

Homura snorted before changing his hands into shiny black swords. "I'll burn you, dimwitted creature!!"

Teddie stepped forwards to give Akihikoi some help. "Mr. Akihiko! I'll help you!!"

Akihiko glanced to the blonde young man with an unusual grim glance and spoke with such a grim tone. "Stand back, Teddie..."

Teddie halted on his track as he saw Akihiko with his unusual grim expression.

"Alright, get ready to be defeated, gaah!!" Akihiko ran towards Homura with his electrified punch.

"Go to hell, scum!!" Homura used his fiery blades to attack Akihiko. As both combatants made their contact with each other, an explosion which consisted of wild flame and rampaging thunder occurred.

~darkness~

Meanwhile, in the other place, two ice-wielders fought with each other with their trusted weapon, metal saber and ice rapier alike. Then, both of them summoned their Persona, Artemisia of Empress Arcana and casted a massive iceberg. As two icebergs collided with each other, a twisted mountain of ice was formed.

"Whoa... she's totally serious in this..." commented Ken who was observing the battle. At first, he became Mitsuru's support in battle but as the battle prolonged, Ken withdrew from the battle as Mitsuru demanded him be. He was currently standing beside Yukari who was tending Kanji, who was seemingly injured.

"You're quite skillful than I thought, Kirijo-sama... it proves that the winning against the embodiment of Death wasn't a fluke..." commented Sui before she created another ice rapier and used it to attack Mitsuru who was parrying the first ice blade.

"It's still a fluke... the one who truly contributed in defeating Nyx is Arisato Minato... I'm still far weaker than him..." said Mitsuru before she raised the saber and blocking the upcoming slash from the second rapier. She pushed both ice blades forwards before she kicked Sui's stomach with her high-heeled shoe.

"Ah, you're also quite humble, aren't you..." Sui moved behind to reduce the effect of Mitsuru's kick. "That man, Arisato Minato... a living saint of humanity, a representation of light... besides the existence of Seta Souji, he also a tough obstacle for Tsukuyomi-sama, the ruler of darkness..."

"So that master of yours intending to kill our leader as well to accomplish his vision isn't it?" asked Mitsuru as she lowered her weapon, putting aside the temptation of fighting the adjutant. "What is the darkness actually means? Is the night doesn't enough for him?"

Sui also lowered her weapons before her expressen somehow seemed a bit bitter, slightly sad to be exact. "He's pitying me, a Shadow... he understands Shadows because he's getting used to live in darkness... why humans can live on the light surface but Shadows can't? Why should we lurk inside humans' heart?" after that, Sui's yellow eyes turned into blue, a same shade as Ryoji and Teddie, who are Shadows. "Even though I have this power, so my siblings do, we're just rejected selves..."

Then, her eyes reverted into yellow and her expression became solemn again. She raised her weapon, readying to attack Mitsuru.

"As a Shadow, I'm just being true to myself... I am a Shadow, the true self... I will do whatever it takes to bring Tsukuyomi-sama's vision into reality, by bringing the utter darkness in the human world. Whoever stands on my path, being decimated is the only fate awaits... and you're the one who seem to stand on my path..."

Mitsuru closed her eyes and she smiled. "Your master sounds like a good leader... but me as a human won't allow it to happen!!" Mitsuru opened her eyes and took out a wakizashi from her pouch. Armed with a saber and the short blade, she prepared herself to resume the paused battle. "I'll fight you with all I got, even with my own life!!"

"So it has been decided, isn't it?" Sui smiled. "For the first time, I found a very promising opponent... please don't disappoint me..."

"Don't worry... I'll defeat you for good..."

Both female combatants charged forwards with their weapons. The scene ended as their weapons clashed to each other.

~darkness~

"Are you afraid of Death?!"

Kazematsuri in her terrorized state couldn't withstand the vicious attack from all Personas of Death Arcana. Those Personas were simultaneously attacking the adjutant, who had reverted into her human form because of the continuous attacks from Deaths.

"There's no need to be afraid... it's just a quick process of changing phase in one's life... the only one that you must truly fear is your feeling towards Death..."

Ryoji smirked evilly before he walked nearer to badly-injured Kazematsuri. The adjutant's eyes widened as Ryoji went nearer to her and crouched.

"All these times, I see you're just yelling and shouting to kill your enemies, right? If you wish to kill your enemies with just like that..."

In a flash, Kazematsuri could see the malevolent shape of an Appriser from the smiling face of Ryoji. For her...

"You know nothing about Death yet..."

Death was smiling to her.

As Ryoji said the word, Alice stepped forward and raised her hand which showed her index finger.

"Alice..."

Alice looked at Ryoji expectantly.

"Die For Me..."

Alice lowered her hand and casted a massive Darkness force which took form of card soldiers with sharp blades and spears and simultaneously piercing Kazematsuri's body. The pink-haired woman shrieked in pain.

"Hmm... that would do it..." spoke Ryoji before he closed his eyes and all Personas of Death Arcana dissipated into particles and being assimilated back into his own body.

"Ah, Yukiko-ojouchan, are you alright?" Ryoji looked at his pupil, who was becoming the spectator of the battle.

"Wow... you're amazing!! But, aren't you can't use Persona?" asked Yukiko.

"Yeah... and they look freaky too, especially that girl..." added Chie.

Ryoji chuckled before he replied. "Are you forgetting that I'm once a Persona... I am Thanatos, The Harbinger of Death and my body consists of Death essence of Persona of Death Arcana... I'm just releasing them out because they're also parts of me..."

"Err... that's truly fascinating, Ryoji-san... but really, that's hardly the first weird thing I've heard..." said Yosuke.

"Haha, you're right for that, Yosuke... it's probably hard for you to tend a bear with you everyday, right?" said Ryoji. Then, they laughed.

"Urgh... it can't be happening..."

Ryoji turned his attention to the voice and found Kazematsuri, severely wounded by previous attack, especially the darkness one. A silver blade appeared in Ryoji's hand, preparing for any sudden attack.

"She's a tough bitch... no wonder she can be Tsukuyomi's adjutant..." said Ryoji.

"This power... you're not a human, aren't you?" asked Kazematsuri. "You have this kind of power, yet you're fighting alongside these trashes... you're just wasting your talent!"

Ryoji smiled by hearing Kazematsuri's words before he answered.

"Yeah, you're right... I am a Shadow, just like you... the difference is I am far more powerful than you... but about wasting my talent, you still got some points there..." spoke Ryoji cheerfully.

"Ryoji-kun, what're you saying?" Yukiko asked her teacher.

"It's up to humans to work their asses off to protect their world, and I still have some choices like standing aside and laugh by seeing these humans struggling to protect their world... but personally, I can't do that..." said Ryoji, still in his cheerful tone, but Yukiko could sense some kind of sadness in his voice.

"You fool! They're nothing compare to you!! You're traitorous Shadow, just working his ass off just to help those puny creatures!!" yelled Kazematsuri.

"Traitorous? Pfth... hehehe... you may call me whatever, traitorous or what... but you're forgetting something more important, Kazematsuri..." Ryoji chuckled before his smile turned creepy and twisted. "I am not an ordinary Shadow; I am a greater being like your so-called master..."

Ryoji's eyes turned red.

"I am a god..."

Kazematsuri growled, seemingly unsatisfied by Ryoji's answer.

"You're not answering my question? If you're god, why are you helping them?! You're not their servant or what!!" asked Kazematsuri angrily.

"That's a good point there..." Ryoji's eyes reverted back into blue. "If I'm a god, I'm just being the master for myself... let just say... I'm just paying debt for a person, a person whom I admire..."

"Who?!" asked Kazematsuri impatiently.

"You're an impatient one, aren't you?" said the black-haired man with amused smile. "I'm once a part of him... let just say that human fears Death, but Death fears him..."

~darkness~

An intensified battle had occurred between Raiga and Souji. Two weapons which were made by metal and frozen blood respectively collided to each other, producing some kind of eerie sound of clashing metals. Minato, Junpei and Aigis were just viewing the battle from beside.

"I'm happy to fight a person like you, Seta Souji... it's been a while since I had fought a promising opponent..." spoke Raiga as he attacked Souji from beside. Souji parried the slash with his katana.

"So am I..." replied Souji coolly before he pushed the sword forward and tried to stab Raiga with a tsuki stance. The white-haired man with glasses evaded the piercing attack by moving beside. Then, some kind of electricity energy emitted from his frozen blood sword before he swung the charged blade.

Souji withstood the attack with his palm, much to Raiga's surprise. It seemed the shock wasn't giving the silverette much effect. Then, a blue card appeared in front of Souji and he crushed it with his hand.

"Izanagi-no-Okami!!"

The majestic Persona of The World Arcana magically appeared above his summoner and swung the clearer version of his heavenly spear, Amenonuhoko. Raiga tried to evade the massive swing by moving behind but the tip of the spear barely touched his torso, injuring it in process.

"That's a nice one..." commented Raiga as he observed his new-obtained wound, which wasn't very deep. He quickly assumed his swording stance. "Alright, let do it again!"

Yeah!" Souji readied his weapon to attack Raiga. Suddenly, he felt a sudden chill in his spine and he could see Minato and Raiga felt the same sensation too.

"What? Already?!" Raiga spoke as he lowered his sword. "Alright, I think that's enough for today..." he smiled to Souji before his figure was surrounded by mist.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" asked Souji.

"Instead of thinking about me, how about if you take your look to your friends over there?"

Souji gasped, finally realizing what was happening. But to go there immediately, that was very impossible.

~darkness~

Rise, Fuuka and Naoto couldn't believe what they had seen. Koromaru stood in front of them and growled fiercely to the newcomer. Naoto took out her revolver, preparing herself to attack the newcomer who was a cloaked man.

"Well well... all of you never expect me to come here, are you?" asked the man before he took off his cloak, revealing a man with gray hair and red eyes. The man, Tsukuyomi smirked smugly before a pair of katanas appeared in his hands. Koromaru barked to him and Naoto aimed her revolver towards him. Fuuka and Rise stood behind the sleuth and canine.

"What're you doing here, Tsukuyomi?!" asked Naoto, preparing to pull the trigger of her revolver.

"I'm just claiming something, or rather someone... I wish that you could hand me someone behind you, and all the rest of you, including your fearless leader, Seta Souji could be spared..." spoke the god with a grin. "Our plan to kill Seta Souji didn't work out as planned, so I'm wishing that this second plan might work..."

"What?!" exclaimed Rise. "What're you talking about?!"

"Be patient, ladies... since we couldn't kill Seta Souji, so we plan to make something which bring us similar effect as killing him... so, could you please hand me..."

Tsukuyomi's crimson eyes were fixated to Rise.

"Kujikawa Rise..."

As for that, Naoto and Koromaru dashed forward to attack him. Naoto shouted "Never!!"

"Fufufufu... I'm expecting that word from you, Shirogane Naoto... so..." then he prepared to fight both approaching Persona-users. "I'll take her from you forcefully..."

As Koromaru managed to go near to the man, he used his blade in his mouth to attack the man. Tsukuyomi parried the attack with one of his katanas. The canine used his paws to scratch the man but Tsukuyomi managed to catch the upcoming paws. With a mighty strength, Tsukuyomi threw the dog behind, slamming onto the floor.

"Koro-chan!!" cried Fuuka.

"You!! I'll kill you for sure!! Yamato Takeru, Vorpal Blade!!" shouted Naoto before she shot an appearing card with her revolver and a majestic figure of Persona Yamato Takeru appeared with her majestic Kusanagi Sword. Yamato Takeru swung her sword around, creating shiny red trails on its own.

"Hmph, Yamato Takeru..." Tsukuyomi muttered before he summoned another Yamato Takeru and the newly-evoked fake Persona parried the original one's sword, halting the attack from occuring. Then, the fake Yamato Takeru stabbed the original Yamato Takeru's torso, thus making her vanished.

"Ugh!!" Naoto fell on her knees as her Persona was defeated by the fake version of her Persona. Mustering her effort into her feet, she stood up and aiming her revolver towards Tsukuyomi.

"Go to hell!!" shrieked Naoto, firing two bullets towards Tsukuyomi. Unfortunately, Tsukuyomi caught those two bullets with his hand, making Naoto agitated.

Tsukuyomi chuckled. "Unfortunately, you can't..." then, with an impossible speed, Tsukuyomi went towards Naoto and stood in front of her. "My turn for now..."

Naoto was shocked when Tsukuyomi appeared in front of her. She intended to aim her revolver towards him but the god managed to catch Naoto's hand. The grip was too tight and Naoto couldn't make Tsukuyomi releasing her hand. The revolver fell onto floor.

"My my... you're quite beautiful if I look at your face..." commented Tsukuyomi as he moved his face nearer to Naoto's. The detective couldn't speak as her eyes met Tsukuyomi's majestic crimson orbs. It's like that her mouth was zipped and her body felt numb. "No wonder your Persona is Yamato Takeru, descendant of Amaterasu... the beauty is passable, either by blood, or fate..."

Then, Tsukuyomi's eyes widened, so Naoto's. She felt some kind of unpleasant feeling was flowing into her mind, and the image of Shadow Naoto appeared, chuckling within her head, mocking Naoto. Then, another voice came out and they resembled her other comrades' voice, mocking her too. Then, an image of silver-haired man, looking at her with an emotionless expression, turned behind and spoke something that she never wished to hear from him.

_Go away... I don't need you..._

"S-Senpai?!" stutterred Naoto.

_I don't need you..._

The voice echoed within her mind and it repeated again and again, torturing Naoto's mind into its limit.

"Please... stop..." pleaded Naoto. Tears began to gather on her eyes.

_I don't need you..._

"No..." her body trembled and tears flowed down on her cheeks.

_You aren't needed here... I never need you... do you hear me Naoto, never..._

"Senpai!!" she shrieked as the torturing vision came repeatedly into her mind before she fell onto floor. Then, Tsukuyomi kicked the lying woman, sending her flying aside like a rag doll. Tsukuyomi came towards Rise but Fuuka stood in front of her protectively.

"If you want her, you need to face me first!!" declared Fuuka, even though she was visibly shaking. Rise couldn't believe what had happened to Naoto.

"As you wish, Yamagishi Fuuka..." said Tsukuyomi before he dashed forward and punched the green-haired woman's stomach. Fuuka's eyes widened before she thudded onto floor. Rise moved behind after seeing another comrade fell.

"Don't worry, I'll be nice to you..." spoke the man soothingly before he looked directly to Rise's eyes. Within seconds, she fell unconscious. Tsukuyomi smirked triumphantly before he picked the fainted woman and walked past Naoto before he vanished with Rise in his arms.

"R-Rise..." Naoto who was still not falling unconscious, spoke weakly. She wished she could stand up and take Rise from Tsukuyomi, but she couldn't because the grotesque image still lingered within her mind.

And she couldn't make it ended.

Then, she heard footsteps and a familiar voice which didn't come from her mind it was a real voice instead of the mocking one.

"Naoto!!"

~darkness~

It's me, Albireo Imma. My exam will begin from 18th November 2009 to 9th December 2009. Wish me good luck, alright? This chapter is the end of Tsukuyomi's Arc and the next arc is known as Yomi's Arc. Below here is the list of the arc.

Tsukuyomi's Arc

Yomi's Arc

Izanagi's Filler

Serpent Tail's Arc

Kurotsuki's Arc

Please read and review as usual...

Albireo Imma


	25. Dark Invitation

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 25: Dark Invitation

"Damn! She's getting away!!" growled Ryoji as Kazematsuri withdrew from their battle and magically escaped from him before he could give her a decisive final blow. Then, he could feel something not right as he didn't feel the presence of their support, Rise or Fuuka.

Ryoji looked at the three other Persona-users and spoke "Let's get back! Something's not right over there!!"

Meanwhile at other place, when Mitsuru almost hit Sui, the turquoise-haired adjutant jumped backwards hastily as her body was covered by mist.

"That's all for today, Kirijo-sama... my duty is perfectly done..." said Sui with a smile before she vanished.

Then Mitsuru realized that as she heard nothing from their support, Fuuka or Rise.

"No way... can't it be..." uttered the scarlet-haired woman.

In Akihiko's place, Homura escaped from the battle, much to the white-haired man's surprise. After that, he felt that someone had communicated with him telepathically.

"Akihiko's here..." he spoke as he placed his hand on temple without checking who was communicating with him.

_Akihiko... return at the entrance hall immediately..._

"Minato!" Akihiko was surprised by hearing the voice of his leader. His voice seemed desperate. "What the hell was happening?!"

_These battles are just traps... Naoto, Koromaru and Fuuka were knocked down, and Rise was taken..._

"What?!"

~darkness~

All of them gathered at their hideout. Ryoji and Aigis were checking those who were knocked down. All of them seemed down.

"We're played for good this time..." said Ken who was standing in front of the door.

Minato just sighed. He sat on a couch as Yukari sat beside him. Kanji leaned on the wall and he seemed to be very anxious as Ryoji and Aigis didn't come out from the room, which contained the unconscious Naoto, Fuuka and Koromaru. Yosuke sat on a chair with such a depressed expression. Chie and Yukiko sat on another couch as Souji just stood beside the couch. The silver-haired man could see those women's fear from their face. Teddie, Akihiko and Junpei were outside.

Then the door opened and both Ryoji and Aigis came out.

"How about them?" asked Minato to the black-haired man with yellow scarf.

"Koromaru just broke some of his bones and ribs and Fuuka didn't seem to be badly injured... but..." Aigis spoke on Ryoji's behalf before she stopped.

"Naoto was badly wounded, both physically and mentally... Tsukuyomi used his power from his eyes which controls the victim's inner thought..." explained Ryoji before he looked at Yukiko "And I believe Yukiko also got that too before, right?"

Weakly, Yukiko nodded. She never dared to recall the event which she experience the nightmarish images of the grotesque form of her inner self as her eyes met Tsukuyomi's.

"Tsukuyomi's eyes, also known as Eyes of Reflection is something that you would expect from a deity which associates with the moon... imagine if you can control one's very own mind with just looking on their eyes... that was exceptionally scary. That's might probably the reason why Tsukuyomi can copy other's Persona and read other's mind..." explained Ryoji.

"So... what will happen to Naoto-kun?" asked Chie.

"Most of the time, if in this case, she might end insane..." replied Ryoji and the answer made others shocked.

"Ryoji-kun!! Don't play us around!!" protested Yukari.

"Be cool, please... although Naoto's condition was awfully severe, I still can return her into her normal state... but it might take time..." said Ryoji. "Minato, do you allow me to do that?" he asked the bluenette.

"That?" others seemed confused.

"I allow you, but with a condition..." Minato's eyes were fixated to Ryoji. "I know you and since Naoto is a girl, I know something might in your mind, right?"

"H-Hey! Don't say that!!" protested Ryoji.

"Aigis, accompany him while he's treating Naoto... if you see he's doing something suspicious on Naoto..." then Minato looked at Aigis. "You know what I mean, right?"

"Roger that... I'll shoot him for good if he's doing something stupid on Naoto-san..." nodded Aigis. The clicking sound could be heard from the gynoid's hands which can be transmogrified into firearms.

Ryoji sighed before he entered the room again and Aigis followed him.

"Seta, I'll go out now... I'm leaving the rest for you now..." Minato looked at Souji before he walked out. Yukari and Ken also went out from the place. Then, other Investigation Squad's members walked out from the hideout, except Yukiko who was still sitting on the couch. She looked at Souji expectantly.

"Yukiko, what're you doing here? You should go out for now... or do you want me to walk you home?" Souji spoke to his girlfriend.

Yukiko shook her head. "No... I just... erm... I just want to talk with you..." Yukiko stood up.

Souji frowned before he sighed.

"Souji-kun... are you alright?" asked Yukiko.

Souji tried his best to give Yukiko a reassuring smile, but this time he failed. Yukiko touched the silverette's hand.

"Don't overestimate yourself... you should give it some rest. About Naoto-kun, I'm sure that Ryoji-kun might help her out and about Rise-chan, we'll talk about that later... I'm sure they wouldn't hurt her for now..." spoke Yukiko reassuringly.

"Yeah... for now..." agreed Souji. Then he smiled slightly. "Thanks, Yukiko..." he hugged the woman. Yukiko was rather surprised by Souji's action, but she didn't wish to push him as she enjoyed his embrace.

"Thanks for being kind..."

~darkness~

"Huh!!"

Rise found out that she was inside a luxurious room. She was lying on a luxurious bed as she found out where she was on.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, didn't sure about why and how she was there.

"Ah, good morning, Rise-san..." then Rise heard a voice. The door was opened and a bespectacled white-haired man with white suit entered the room with a tray of food. He smiled to the pigtail-haired woman who seemed shocked by his presence.

"R-Raiga-san!!" Rise spoke the name of the man.

Raiga chuckled. "I'm glad that you still remember my name... here, you should get some food... if you wish, I can..."

"Get out from my sight..." before Raiga could finish his sentence, Rise dreadfully spoke to him.

"I see... I'll be leaving you... please have a good meal..." Raiga didn't seem upset by Rise's cold attitude, as he had expected it because he lied to her.

Raiga opened the door and readied to go out. "If you wish for some help, just call my name, okay?"

"Go away!!" Rise yelled.

Raiga didn't answer that. He just smiled kindly before he spoke "Sorry for everything, Rise-san... I'm sorry..." then he went out from the room.

Rise looked at the food. Then she remembered what was happening, about Naoto being tortured badly by Tsukuyomi's mind power and about herself. The last thing she could remember was a pair of majestic crimson eyes before everything went black.

"Senpai..." she squeaked as tears rolled on her cheeks. "Save me..."

"..." Raiga still stood outside the room. He could hear clearly Rise's sobs. Then he sighed.

"Sigh... that's why I hate being a bad guy... I hope I'll get a better role after this..." sighed Raiga before he walked away.

~darkness~

It was raining that evening. Souji walked around the shopping district without bringing his umbrella. He felt rather comfortable by allowing the water flowed down on his body and ignoring the fact that he felt cold. He wished that the flowing water could wash away his guilt and sadness upon their defeat by Tsukuyomi.

He sighed. He was never defeated that badly before. Okay... it's not that they never being defeated actually. Izanami once defeated them and almost they almost being thrown into the land of dead, Yomi but by a twist of fate or rather luck or something like that, he managed to get out from being digested alive by Yomi's stomach by the bonds he forged with others.

"Heh..." he tried to amuse himself with the fact that they were defeated. It's true that he might let the fact about Tsukuyomi beated them good, but about Rise... it might take forever for him to let his guilt upon her, being taken, could be forgotten. Stoic as he might look like, he absolutely cares about all his friends, his comrades. Seeing them being hurt just the same like letting his chest being pierced by thousand arrows.

Then, when he passed in front of the bookshop, suddenly a blue door appeared. Well, not very surprising because Souji would know what it actually was. He could feel his Velvet Key radiated its unusual warmth from inside his pocket. He sighed before he took it out and...

"This might bring me some luck, I think..." he muttered.

He opened the door and frowned as he discovered something had changed. Instead of an elevator-like room, he found himself inside a large library with the color scheme of majestic blue. Both Margaret and Elizabeth welcomed him with their usual warm smile and Igor, he sat on his luxurious blue chair behind the counter-like thing with his smug smile.

"Ah... welcome to Velvet Room, Seta Souji..." greeted Igor. "I wonder what might bring you here... anyway, please be seated..."

Souji sat on a chair which was situated opposite the counter. His eyes still looked around the library with curiosity.

"Nice decorated, isn't it?" said Igor before he stood up, something that Souji wouldn't expect that old man to do. He walked towards Souji, leaving his chair behind. Then he snapped his finger before a chair and a table appeared magically. Igor sat on the chair with his usual fashion.

"This time, we expect you with our other guest to face something greater than your last encounter... and you might need more than usual. This time, we will provide you some references, like what you have seen on the shelves, which might help you to understand your enemies and yourself..." said Igor. Then he gestured to Margaret "And Margaret will assist you in searching for appropriate references, so that you won't be completely lost in searching for the unattainable truth which may be obscured behind darkness..."

Souji nodded. He looked at Margaret.

"I would gladly show you the way to find the truth... just tell me when you wish to search for it..." said Margaret.

"Thank you..." mouthed Souji.

"And..." Igor smirked. "I feel something interesting would happen in near future, your future... would you wish me to see your future? By cards?"

Souji frowned. He remembered Igor had foretold his future by tarot cards before, at the first time he visited the room. He was silent for some moments before he nodded.

"Yes... please do..." he agreed for letting Igor taking a look into his future.

"Great! Now... let us begin, shall we?" Igor swayed his gloved hand and a deck of tarot cards appeared magically on the table.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asked the silverette a same question which he had asked him before, five years ago. The cards spread themselves on the table.

Souji nodded before he spoke "Yes... each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different... and the life itself follows the same principle, am I missing something here?"

Igor chuckled as his guest repeated what he had said before. "Hehehe... you never fail to amaze me, Seta Souji... now, watch closely..." he unflipped the first card, and an upright card of Star appeared.

"Star with upright position... this card represents 'hope' and 'faith'... very fascinating indeed..." Igor smiled smugly. "After facing such a great hopelessness, you will soon find something which may bring hope to you... small as it may be; it's still called hope..."

"And the card beyond that is..." he reached out his gloved hand to unflip the last card, but before he unflipped it, he stopped. He looked at Souji with such a grim expression.

"I feel a greater and immerse power lies beneath this card... would you wish to see it?" he asked the silverette again.

Souji nodded. "Go on..."

Igor chuckled again as he readied to unflip the final card. "Very well... let us proceed..."

As he unflipped the final card, they heard such a distant yet clear scream within the Velvet Room, as like the room itself didn't allow the card to exist inside it. Souji took a good look on the card and found nothing except a card with a picture of a white skull on a ghastly-looking blue altar. It seemed the final card was a trump with no name, or could be say as an arcana which never meant to be.

And Death grinned to him...

~darkness~

Rise just sat on the luxurious-looking bed with such a sad expression. She didn't touch the food which Raiga brought to her before. It just like she didn't feel to give the taste of the food onto her taste bud.

"Raiga... is this why you came to me? Just to trap me?" she muttered.

The image of the white-haired man came into her mind. The man possesses an exact or same smile as Souji, but as she knew the truth and Raiga's betrayal upon her, his kind smile appeared twisted and malevolent.

"How can I be so stupid?!" she cried again.

After that, Rise heard someone knocking the door. After some while, a person entered the room. Instead of Raiga, a turquoise-haired girl, around 15 to 17, entered the room. Instead of being yellow, her eyes appeared blue.

"How are you, Kujikawa-sama? Do you have a good meal?" she asked the woman. "Ah, I forget to mention my name... I'm Sui, Tsukuyomi-sama's adjutant and servant... pleased to meet you..."

Then she looked at the meal which was untouched by Rise.

"I see... you don't want to eat right now..." said Sui.

"Why do you care?" asked Rise harshly.

"We need to care... as long as you're under our care, we should provide the best for you... we never intended to hurt you... we just want to hold you hostage to proceed for our next plan..." answered Sui.

"Next plan? What do you mean by that?" Rise wanted to know what the girl was talking about.

"It is something that human being had sought since their birth... but put that aside. You should finish your meal first... or would you mind me to bring a new one? That one seems cold..." Sui looked at the meal.

Rise looked at Sui's face. Her face seemed innocent. Well, this time she wouldn't believe in appearance. That female adjutant might hold something even dark beneath her doll-like expression.

"Don't worry... like I had said before, we never intended to put any harm on you... we will provide the best just for you. If you got something to ask, feel free to ask..." said Sui, lifting the tray of food to change it into a new one.

"What's your true purpose?" Rise asked.

"I've said that before, to bring something that human being had sought since their birth..." replied Sui.

"No, not that... just, why Raiga did this to me?" Rise shook her head and said about Raiga. "Did he do all of these just to... lure me into your trap?"

One of Sui's eyebrows raised as Rise asked that question.

"Your encounter with Raiga and our plan to take you hostage are never associated with each other... it just happens that he's curious about you..." answered Sui.

"Curious... about me?" Rise seemed to not understand.

"And it brings us to Raiga's origin... besides being a Shadow, he was once a Persona... another self of someone..." the revelation surprised Rise.

"A Persona?! Wait, what are you talking about? He's a Persona?" Rise didn't believe what Sui had said.

"Are you forgetting that Shadow and Persona are two sides of a same coin? He's once a Persona of a human being... that human being accepted him, making Raiga into a Persona... sadly, that human died in an accident..." Sui spoke about the origin of Adjutant of Thunder.

"And... what happened?" Rise seemed eager to know it more.

"By that, Raiga supposed to die along with his wielder... but he lived. His sheer life force is too strong, stronger than his master. Losing a vessel to live at, he wandered beneath the darkness as a Shadow, looking at mortals, learning their way of life, learning to speak in human's language. Several years after that, he managed to obtain his human form..." said Sui.

"And then?" asked Rise anxiously.

"Although he managed to live among mortals, he still couldn't brush away his guilt... he couldn't protect his master because of himself... he wishes to die, but he just can't..." explained Sui again. "After living in loneliness for so many years, he met Tsukuyomi-sama..."

"Tsukuyomi?" asked Rise.

"Yes... Tsukuyomi-sama wishes for Raiga to lend him his strength. In return, Tsukuyomi-sama offered something to Raiga, something that he sought after being abandoned as a Shadow... something that you mere mortals never wish to get..." the turquoise-haired young woman said.

"W-What is it?" asked Rise, eager to know about it.

"Tsukuyomi-sama offered him 'Death'..."

Rise gasped. Raiga wished for... a death? What in the world it actually meant?

"W-Wait, wait!! What the hell is that? Do you mean that Raiga wished to... die?" asked Rise unpatiently.

"If you understand his loneliness, you'll not surprise about that... living for more than a century, he felt very lonely... for a Persona who supposed to die along with his master, a prolonged life was an unbearable fate for him... he just wish to die peacefully..." said Sui, ending her story.

"Why... why did he do that? Can't he just commit suicide or else?" Rise seemed to a little losing her mind as she mentioned about committing suicide.

"He did it more than a hundred times... and he's still alive..." responsed Sui. "If he had done something wrong to you, please... forgive him. He's just doing our master's order to achieve his ultimate goal... for getting a proper way of death..."

"I-I see... so, what about my question earlier? You did say that he's curious about me..." said Rise.

"I don't know it for sure... but he said that his former master, or other self, is a woman... and that woman looked like you... yes, she looked similar like you... I think that's the best reason why he became rather curious about you..." answered Sui.

"Same... like me?"

"He just mentioned it once... but at the first time he saw you during our first encounter, he looked rather petrified... it seemed that he were seeing his former master, someone that he really missed for so long, someone that he would rather protect, even with the cost of his life..."

And those words changed Rise's view on Raiga even better...

~darkness~

"Death with upright position... oh my..."

Souji's eyes widened as he looked at the final card, Death. Seeing the face of the card was enough to make him petrified. Igor chuckled before he swayed his hand, making those cards vanished.

"Don't worry, my friend... Death doesn't mean a physical death... it represents an end of cycle, which may bring you to an ultimate end, or a new beginning. Based on that, I presume that you will undergo a complete change, a metamorphosis to be exact... just like a butterfly, emerged from its cocoon..." explained Igor.

"I-I see..." nodded Souji.

"Well, do you have anything else?" asked Igor.

Souji shook his head. Then he stood up from the chair and readied to go out from the room.

"Souji-san, wait... I have something for you..." said Margaret. The silverette halted from his way to go out of the room.

"What is it, Margaret?" asked Souji.

Margaret took out something which happened to be a small black stone. She handed it to Souji.

"What is this?" Souji looked at the peculiar item.

"Minato-san asked me to hand it to you... he said this thing may help you in your journey. This is a fragment of Thanatos' coffin..." said Margaret again. Souji looked at that thing with awe, as like he was holding something which was completely rare.

"So... why didn't he just give it to me by himself?" asked Souji.

Margaret shook her head. "I don't know it for sure... it just he wanted me to give it to you... anyway, good luck, Souji-san..."

"Thanks, Margaret..." Souji smiled to the woman. Then he walked out from the room. It's still raining.

Souji looked at the black stone before he kept it inside his pocket. He decided to return back to Dojima's residence. As he passed the Moel Gas Station, he suddenly felt a strange yet familiar feeling. Before he could brush it away, a familiar voice could be heard.

"It seems you're quite in trouble, aren't you?"

The silverette's eyes widened as he heard those vividly yet certainly familiar voice. He looked at the station and found something or rather someone, which or whom might freak out his other comrades, if they know the real identity of a female gas attendant. Souji could see clearly her identity by just looking at her red eyes.

"I-Izanami?" Souji stated the name of the goddess, who was currently in her guise. The female gas attendant chuckled before she spoke.

"I glad you still remember me, Seta Souji... it's rather nostalgic, isn't it?" said the attendant with a smile. She looked up to see the signboard of the station. "This is where both of us first met each other, right?"

"Why're you here?" asked Souji.

"It's quite a long story to be told... but to put it in a nutshell, I go back into this world to amuse myself, as usual... I just want to see what would the one of Three Noble Children, Tsukuyomi do to this world. I just can't resist the temptation to see it since it includes you..." explained Izanami.

Souji was stupefied by Izanami's statement. Then, he remembered Igor's words.

_After facing such a great hopelessness, you will soon find something which may bring hope to you... small as it may be, it still be called hope..._

"Izanami..." Souji's gray eyes met Izanami's crimson orbs. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Hmm?" Izanami frowned.

"Could you help me, or tell me... how to go to Takamagahara?" asked Souji. He wished to get some way to Takamagahara since Tsukuyomi had cut the connection between the heavenly dimension and the TV world.

Izanami smiled as she listened at Souji's demand. "Sadly, I can't..." she shook her head, bringing Souji into disappointment. "Just like Yomi, Takamagahara is a heavenly place which can only be entered by a heavenly being... since I can't go there because some reasons, it's completely impossible for me to open a path of either me or you people..."

"Moreover, if I were to have some way, I couldn't just simply help you out without compensation..." added Izanami.

Souji sighed defeatedly.

"But, if you insist... I got something for you, but not about Takamagahara, it just I want to give you something..." Izanami took out a black envelope from her pocket and handed it to the silverette. Souji accepted the strange-looking envelope with a bemused look.

"That is an invitation to Yomi... by that, you could enter into Yomi and go out from it safely..." explained Izanami.

"Yomi? You mean... the land of dead?" asked Souji.

"Of course... and you know where you could find me later in TV world, right?" said Izanami before a car arrived. "Ah, I should get back to work, later..." and she dashed to the car and the driver to provide him assistance.

Souji looked at the envelope before he subconsciously smiled.

"So... this is that hope, right? I wonder what would come next..."

~darkness~

The blue-haired sleuth found herself in a strange-looking cave. She didn't know how long she was there and the last thing she could remember was a pair of red eyes.

"Where am I?" Naoto asked herself.

_Shirogane Naoto..._

Hearing that voice, Naoto looked around and found a woman, dressed in silky white kimono. The woman's face resembled Yukiko.

"Yukiko-senpai?"

_I'm not... I'm just associated with her... anyway let us have some talks..._

"If you're not Yukiko-senpai, who're you? And why do you know me?" asked Naoto.

The woman chuckled as the cave suddenly brightened.

_I know everything about you, dear Naoto, just like I know anything about Amagi Yukiko... hmm, do you wish for power?_

Naoto was thinking for some moments. The words slightly rattled her as she remembered her last encounter with Tsukuyomi. "I-I... I wish I were stronger enough, stronger to protect my friends..."

_I see..._

The woman went nearer to Naoto.

_May I look at your hands?_

Felt like being hypnotized, Naoto lifted her hands just like the woman asked her. The woman held both Naoto's hands with her hands.

_I could feel something by touching your palms, Naoto... you love these hands, yet you dared to lose them just to protect those who you cherish..._

The woman smiled kindly.

_If you wish for power, I may gladly lend you some... use it wisely, vessel of Yamato Takeru..._

Suddenly, Naoto felt something pulsinated within her hands as a strange yet majestic light was emitted by the woman's hands. The force kept flowing into her hands and entered her body.

_Please protect those you cherish with the power which I bestowed upon you... don't let yourself being surrounded by darkness, just like me..._

"Wait!! Who are you?!" asked Naoto as the cave was engulfed by blinding light. She could barely see that woman's smile.

_Amaterasu..._

And the voice from the past echoed again in the present...

And a halted bloody feud finally restarted...

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo. I supposed to be studying for my exam, but I just can't resist the temptation to write this chapter. I'm almost being scolded by my mother because of sticking in front of my laptop for almost 5 hours... Sob, I should stop now and hit the book, hehe... This chapter is the beginning of the second arc, Yomi's Arc. As usual, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	26. Hidden Memories

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 26: Hidden Memories

The blonde gynoid opened her eyes and found herself inside a laboratory. But she couldn't be sure since her vision was blurred. She felt she was lying on a bed with her body being attached with some wires. Then she heard a voice, a voice which never resembled anyone she knew but seemingly familiar to her.

_Thank goodness... you've awaken... I thought you would never wake up._

It was a voice of a woman. Aigis looked up and saw a female figure who was wearing a lab coat. Aigis couldn't see her face but her voice reminded her of something, something that she might once remember.

"Wh-Who are you?" asked Aigis. The woman chuckled before she put her hand on Aigis' head.

_I see... so you've forgotten me after all... but that's okay. I'm glad you're doing okay, Aigis..._

Then the woman touched the Aigis' red ribbon and caressed it gently. Aigis couldn't see her face but she felt the woman was smiling to her.

_It seems you're still keeping this ribbon... that's good..._

Then Aigis felt her vision began to darken and she felt her eyelids became heavy. Before her eyes were completely shut, Aigis could vividly see the woman's face, smiling to her kindly.

_Please have some rest... I know you need it..._

"Wait!"

~darkness~

"Wait!"

"Aigis, what's wrong?"

Aigis opened her eyes and found herself in her futon. She looked beside her and saw Yukari with a worried look. She was no longer in that lab, instead she had returned into her rented room.

"Aigis, do you have those bad dreams again?" asked the brunette-haired woman with a concerned look.

The blonde gynoid smiled slightly before she shook her head. "It's nothing..." Aigis tried to cover her worries from Yukari. The brunette woman frowned before she sighed.

"Aigis, you should tell me if you have some problems... I'll listen to you..." said Yukari as she patted the gynoid's head. Aigis nodded before she smiled.

"I'll remember that, Yukari-san..." said Aigis.

Yukari smiled gently before she yawned. "Yawn... I guess I've to return to bed... I'm sleepy..." she crawled back into her futon and tucked herself into it. "Good night, Aigis..."

"Good night, sorry for troubling you..." said Aigis apologetically.

"Mmm..." replied Yukari. Then she slept.

Aigis sighed. She looked at the sleeping Yukari before she stood up. That dream seemed to disturb her mind. Who was that woman? And that ribbon?

"This ribbon... is from her?" Aigis talked to herself as she touched her red ribbon. Decided to not return back to her bed, she decided to go out of the room. The reason why they rented a room instead of continuing to live at the inn was they had lived at the inn for almost a month and they didn't want to burden the Amagi family.

Aigis walked out of the room into the corridor. Although it wasn't necessary for her to breath, she inhaled the night air to calm herself. She looked at the moon before she sighed sagely.

"Is she... my creator?" she muttered to herself.

Then, she heard someone opened the door of the room, which was situated beside her and Yukari's room. As the door opened, a bluenette man came out.

"Ah! You're not sleeping yet..." said the navy-haired man, Minato. Aigis nodded weakly.

"Minato-san, what're you doing outside?" asked Aigis.

"Nothing much... just to take some fresh night air of Inaba..." replied Minato as he leaned himself on the wall. "How about you?"

"Same just like you..." answered the blonde gynoid. Then she sighed.

Minato seemed to know something was not right about the female android. "Aigis, is something troubling you?" asked the navy-haired man.

By hearing Minato's question, Aigis was agitated for some seconds before she weakly nodded. She didn't want to burden that man, the one she loves the most, with her problems.

"Aigis... just tell me what's in your mind?" said Minato reassuringly to Aigis. The gynoid sighed heavily before she started to speak.

"Actually, I'm having a strange dream, a really strange dream... and this dream never occurred on me before..." started Aigis. Minato listened to the gynoid intently. The navy-haired man hummed as he rubbed his chin.

"I see... tell me about it..." said Minato. "For a Persona-user, fate and dream can't be separated..."

"You sounded like that old man Igor..." stated Aigis, still could remember the mysterious old man, Igor, who was giving her assistance during the Abyss of Time's incident. "Well... in my dream, I found myself inside a lab, and I saw a woman... I only could see her wearing a lab coat, but I couldn't see her face..."

"What did she do to you?" asked Minato.

"She spoke to me, gently..." she lowered her gaze "...just like what you always do..." the gynoid could feel her face heatened. "She said to me, just like a mother would do to her daughter, and I felt a very strange feeling as her image faded away... it feels hurt on my chest..."

"Did she mention to you about something that might help you to remember who she is?" asked Minato, still being a good listener like usual.

"Well... I'm not sure but she did say about my ribbon. She said she gave this ribbon to me..." Aigis touched the ribbon just below her neck. "Maybe she's my creator..." then she seemed to be thinking. "Wait, my creator? Is she my creator? Not Ikutsuki?"

Minato could hear some weird noises from the gynoid's head, as like the blonde female android straining her system to think about the problem. Minato sighed before he patted the gynoid's head. The humming sound stopped gradually. "Don't strain yourself, Aigis..."

"Yeah... I get it now... those images are some recollections of my memories, my hidden memories..." Aigis looked at Minato. "After that incident, while I was fighting Death, I sustained some damages which caused some of my recorded memories gone... but they're not fully gone. There's a system in my database which allows my damaged memories being copied and kept safe within my head, but there's a chance for those data being deleted by themselves... so that might explain why I got that dream. It's because of the memories about her is still kept safely inside my head..."

Although the explanation was long and might sound confusing, Minato nodded, as like he understood about it. "So you're saying you unconsciously remembered about the things that you supposed to have forgotten... I see what you mean. You even became somehow hostile to Ryoji when you first met him because of those hidden memories, right?"

"Exactly... now, if I search for those memories within my data, I might be able to remember about her... it might take some times though..." said Aigis. She closed her eyes before beeping sound could be heard from her head. "I'll search for them..."

As Aigis started for her 'searching', a sound of rotating motor could be visibly heard from her head. Minato looked at the gynoid, ready to give any suitable aid if something not right were to happen.

Suddenly, Aigis opened her eyes and coughed. The strange sounds stopped. Somehow, tears flowed out from her eyes.

"A-Aigis? What happened?" Minato seemed worried about her.

"I-I remember now..." Aigis' voice seemed to be forced out and choked, as like she remembered something terrible. "Yes, she's my creator... the first living human being I ever met... she's Kimijima Yuu, the former chief officer of Humanoid Anti-Shadow Weapon Project before that incident..."

"Wait? Ikutsuki wasn't the chief?" asked Minato.

"He's her successor after her..." Aigis stopped, unwilling to continue her sentence. She sobbed as she wiped her tears. Minato tried to comfort the crying gynoid as he knew what Aigis was talking about.

"So... that Yuu was your creator, right? And she was..." Minato paused for a moment to look at the gynoid's expression before he continued "... dead, right? Is that what you mean?"

Aigis nodded. "I found this information inside my database, telling me that she was already dead in the moment of my battle with Death... I'm not sure whether she was killed during that explosion or not. And..." she looked at Minato's bluish gray eyes with her watery cyan orbs. "...I don't want to know its cause..."

"I see what you mean... I'm sorry to hear that..." Minato comforted Aigis, who had finally stopped crying.

"Yuu-san, she's a good person... she never treated me like a weapon. Instead, she looked at me as a precious living being, just like what you do to me... and this ribbon..." she touched her red ribbon "...is a present from her..."

Then, Aigis lowered her gaze before she spoke again "Whatever the cause of her death might be, it's might because of my weakness, myself being weak... if she was dead during the explosion, I wasn't there to save her... if she was dead before the incident, I-I..." unable to finish her sentence, she broke into tears again.

"It wasn't your fault..." said Minato. "It wasn't you to be blamed... I know Yuu-san won't be happy if you're crying like this..." Minato stroked the gynoid's blonde hair and gave her a very calming smile.

Aigis smiled as she wiped her tears. "You're right... It wasn't me to be blamed..." as she dried her tears she clenched her fists and spoke with full of spirit "I promise I won't be saying about it again. If I couldn't protect her that time, this time..." her blue eyes were fixated to Minato's "I'll try harder to protect my friends!!"

Minato chuckled before he spoke "That's good to hear..."

Aigis smiled before her expression started to look gloomy again "But..." she spoke weakly "...just protecting is not enough... what would I get if someone I had tried to protect to the point where I might lose my life... go away without my notice?" her eyes seemed teary again. "You do remember, don't you?"

Those words were the same as a thousand of poison-laced blades, stabbing through Minato's poor heart. There was no day he could avoid to regret his last 'autumn', the day when he left his precious friends without giving them any word and without leaving any sign of his departure. In that moment, he couldn't do anything but to sigh heavily.

"Tell me... are you going to leave us again? To leave me?" asked Aigis desperately.

Minato breathed in and out before he answered Aigis' question in his monotonous and dull tone "No... I wouldn't leave you guys..." then he smiled weakly.

By hearing Minato's answer, tears seemed to make their trails again of Aigis' cheeks, but this time, a joyful smile curved on her face, telling the man how the answer managed to cheer her up. "Promise?"

Minato nodded. "I promise..."

Without any warning, the blonde gynoid hugged the navy-haired man, making him rather petrified. After some seconds, Minato smiled before he stroked the blonde hair of the female android gently. Then, Aigis released her hug.

"And... how about if we do a pinkie-swear?" said Aigis.

"Eh?" Minato frowned. Before he could react to it, Aigis took one of his hands and hooked her pinkie with Minato's. It couldn't be helped for the poor Minato but to do it as well.

"Ready? One, two, three!!"

Both of them spoke in unison as their pinkies hooked to each other. "I swear by my pinkie to keep my promise! May a blowfish sting me if I've told a lie!"

Aigis giggled cheerfully as like she was never crying a moment ago. Minato couldn't help but to curve a smile on his face to see how cheerful the miracle of life could be.

Without their notice, Yukari was sitting behind the door of her room. She listened the conversation between Aigis and Minato. After that, she stood up.

"..."

At the outside, Minato looked at his cell phone; to see how late the time had come. "Oh my, it's already midnight... you should return to your bed..." said Minato.

"Okay!" replied Aigis cheerfully. "See you tomorrow!!" she opened the door of her room and entered the room. Some time after the door was closed; Minato closed his eyes as his back was against the cold wall.

"Hmm... may a blowfish sting me if I've told a lie..." the navy-haired man muttered to himself before he sighed. Suddenly, he felt something or rather someone was coming and the presence of that 'someone' was very familiar to him.

"I wonder what it feels to be stung by a blowfish... that might be painful..." a cheerful version of Minato's voice could be heard before a black-haired man with yellow scarf appeared beside Minato. The bluenette sighed.

"Ryoji... you did hear about what we're talking about, right?" asked Minato.

Ryoji leaned himself in a same fashion as the man beside him before he spoke with with usual chirpy sound "Not that all... I just heard about..." he smirked "...your final autumn..."

Minato sighed as he placed his palm on his face. "So?"

"So what? I'm the one who should ask 'so?' to you... so, what's in your mind?" asked Ryoji. "How it feels to become a 'perfect liar' again?"

"Perfect liar?"

"Yeah... it sounds like 'no... I wouldn't leave you guys...' right?" the raven-haired man smirked as he mimicking Minato's voice. "Although it sounds convincing to the point where Aigis believe it, you still couldn't change the fact that you're lying to her." Ryoji's words in such a mocking tone.

"..." Minato was silent.

Ryoji hooked both his pinkies before he sang the pinkie-swear song mockingly "I swear by my pinkie to keep my promise! May a blowfish sting me if I've told a lie!" then he chuckled. "And I've told a lie, may a blowfish sting me!"

"Enough!" growled Minato threateningly to the mocking man, but he tried to lower his voice so it couldn't be heard by Aigis and Yukari. "Alright, you win... I'm lying to her..."

Ryoji smiled triumphantly before he asked him again with the same question as before "So, what's in your mind?"

Minato looked at Ryoji's face before he answered in such an unenthusiastic tone "Confusion..."

"Confusion? Well, that's rare... it's rare for you to be confused..." stated Ryoji. "Somehow, I know what make you all confused, and you know it as well, right?"

"..." Minato refused to answer Ryoji's question this time.

"If you don't want to answer it, let me spit it out for you... you know about it do you? About how Aigis feels about you? About Yukari? They love you!! You know it for sure, right? It's totally obvious, am I wrong?" Ryoji placed his hands on Minato's shoulders. "And you feel guilty for that. Being a truly good man brings a worst luck for you... you feel bad if you leave them, right?"

Minato sighed. "That's correct..." he finally admitted it. "I knew since the beginning that they love me... and I can't help but to feel guilty about that..."

"And may I add something? It's not only you feel bad by leaving them, it's also about whom should you prefer out of those two... You only could choose one, right?" added Ryoji again.

Minato closed his eyes. "That's might probably one of the cases too. I don't know who should I prefer... and how should I make if I'm going to leave them. I just... confused..." he clenched his fists. "And it makes me... scared. I scared of everything. I scared of... my death..."

"I see..." nodded Ryoji. "That's poor of you..."

"Ryoji..." Minato looked at Ryoji's face expectantly. "How long this body could withstand?" he placed his hand on his chest.

"It depends on how you use your power... if you use your power in moderation, your lifespan might be longer that I've expected. To overexert yourself is only to hasten your death..." explained Ryoji.

"I see..." Minato gritted his teeth. "If I'm going to die, will you help the others to save this world?"

Ryoji chuckled before he replied "I'd rather not... you did remember, right? I'm here because you're here... as long as you're still around; I'll be one of you guys. If you die, it's up to me whether to stay awhile to see their struggle in preventing the end of the world or to return to my place as a part of Lady Nyx..."

"And don't forget, I'm Thanatos, the Harbinger of Death, the Appraiser of the Fall... maybe someday I'll call upon that 'Eternal Night' to bring disaster and destruction upon the world and mankind..." Ryoji's tone turned solemn. "This ephemeral world is not of my concern at all..."

"It never sounds convincing from an idiot like you..." commented Minato.

"Hey!! I just begin to sound cool!! Geez, you're cruel..." Ryoji turned back into his cheerful attitude.

"Anyway..." Ryoji coughed. "Are you saying if you're dead, this world will end? You know, right? Others aren't that weak, especially Souji... my feeling told me that he might become stronger than me or you... if you die, he'll just simply take your role and lead the others' way..."

"I know it as well..." Minato lifted himself from the wall. "Anyway, how about that Shirogane girl? Is she okay?"

Ryoji smirked. "Don't worry, she'll be fine... I guess. And about Rise, I've told Kanji-kun and Yosuke-kun to tell her grandmother about her..."

Minato ruffled his blue hair "I'm expecting the worst from that..." sighed the blue-haired man.

Ryoji yawned before he spoke "Yawn... I'm sleepy. I guess using too much power for treating Naoto really tiring..." he went in front of his room, which was also Minato's room. "Goodnight..."

Ryoji entered the room. Minato stared the room before he sighed and opened the door.

~darkness~

Rise was sitting on the bed. Being a hostage sure made her nothing to do except to wait. Then she heard a loud click from the door.

"Sorry for intruding, Rise-san..." a white-haired man came in.

"Raiga..." Rise looked at the man. "..."

"I guess you've heard about me from Sui... sorry for what I've done to you, but this is my master's order, Tsukuyomi-sama's order..." spoke Raiga apologetically.

"His order? You followed his order? You followed his order so you can die, right?" asked Rise.

Raiga sighed. "So Sui did really tell you about this... well, that's true. I'm following his order to kill myself. After being a Shadow, my power was too strong to be defeated by other Shadows to the point they might shatter if I came nearer them... as the time passed, my power kept evolving to the point where I couldn't be killed anymore..."

"And you did try to kill yourself?" asked Rise.

Raiga smiled weakly before he took out a dagger from his white suit. Rise gasped as Raiga aimed the weapon to his heart.

"Wait!! What're you doin-"

The dagger stabbed his chest. Black blood flowed out of his wound. He pulled out the weapon and tossed it beside. To Rise's surprise, the wound miraculously shrunk and finally gone. The black blood which was staining Raiga's white suit also vanished.

"See? Even if I cut my throat or stab my chest, I can't die... with this ability, Tsukuyomi-sama appointed me as the leader amongst his adjutants..." said the adjutant.

Rise couldn't say anything about that. Then she spoke apologetically "Sorry for yelling at you at that time... I never thought you-"

"Nah... it's okay. I'm getting used to it. Besides, that's the drawback for being a bad man... anyway; do you have anything to ask?"

"Well... you were once a Persona, right?" asked Rise uncertainly.

"That's correct..." nodded Raiga.

"Who's your user? Sui said your user resembled me... who's that?" Rise seemed eager to know about Raiga's former master.

Raiga smiled before he spoke in such an unenthusiastic tone.

"Himiko..."

Coincidence, or fate?

~darkness~

Ahh!! It's been awhile since the last time I updated this fanfic. Anyway, exam is over! And I've got pumped out for completing this story (aw man, there's a long way to go to finish this). Alright, in this story, I've included the character from one of Persona 3's spin-off game(which is mobile phone game) Aegis; The First Mission, Kimijima Yuu. For dear readers' information, she was Aigis' development chief and was not actually her creator, but the first person who regarded Aigis as a human being instead of a weapon. Just refer to Megami Tensei Wiki to find out more.

And about Raiga's former master, I give it some surprise for it. Himiko, sounds familiar, right? Just wait and see, okay? Alright, that's all. Read and Review!!!!!

Albireo Imma


	27. Next Plan

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 27: Next Plan

Souji and his cousin, Nanako were watching a TV show together. Dojima was out at that time since he had some cases to be solved or something like that. Since Ryoji was now living with Minato at a rented house, Nanako wouldn't see him around her house anymore.

"Big bro... where big bro Ryoji go?" asked Nanako to the silverette.

"He's now living with his friend..." answered Souji. "Don't worry; he will come here anytime he wants."

"Mmm..." nodded Nanako as she looked back at the TV screen. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Ah, who's that?" Nanako stood up and went towards the door. She opened the door and saw a man in green uniform, who was familiar for her. He was holding a big box.

"Hi there... this is a delivery for Dojimas..." said the man as he put the box in front of the door. "And this is for Seta Souji..." he took out a medium-sized envelope and put it on the box. Souji realized his name was mentioned and walked towards the door.

As the man's business finished, the deliveryman bowed appreciably before he walked towards his truck. Souji took the envelope that had his name and looked at the big box which had Nanako's name on it with curiosity.

"Ah, it's finally here!! Yay!!" Nanako opened the box and took out a big-sized platypus plushie.

"How did you get it?" asked Souji to Nanako, who was hugging the soft green plushie happily. Then he saw a familiar-looking sticker with a familiar-looking quote on it. "Oh, I get it, Tanaka..."

Souji looked at the envelope. There's no sender's name or address on it. Suspecting something odd, Souji went upstairs to his room. He closed the door and opened the envelope. Inside the envelope were a DVD and a short note with a peculiar picture on top of the heading.

"Stop pursuing me or prepare to suffer an immediate consequence..." Souji read the note. There was a picture of a black moon on the heading of the note.

"Black moon..."

Then he looked at the DVD, which had a same picture on top of it.

"Tsukuyomi..."

Immediately, Souji took out his cell phone and called Minato.

_What's up, Seta?_

"Minato, could you please tell everyone in your group to gather at Junes tomorrow?" said Souji.

_Is something wrong?_

"I'll tell you later. There's something I want to show to all of you. I'll let others from my group to know too..."

_How about Shirogane?_

"She'll be released tomorrow. Golden Week will start tomorrow and I'm sure Ken will have time to go here..."

_I see... alright, I'll tell others. See you tomorrow..._

~darkness~

A day after that, at Junes food court. All members from SEES and Investigation Squad except Naoto, Ryoji and Aigis were there. Aigis and Ryoji went to the hospital to fetch the detective, who was finally allowed to go out.

"Fuuka, are you still alright?" asked Yukari, concerned about the green-haired nurse's condition. Fuuka was recently released from the ward after recovering from her injuries.

"I'm alright. I'm just feeling a little sluggish..." said Fuuka before she looked at Koromaru. "I'm worried about Koro-chan though... is he alright?"

Mitsuru smiled before she spoke "Don't worry. He's alright for now... he recovered from his injuries in a very astonishing rate to the point where vet himself couldn't found any sign of trauma or injury on his body..."

"Ohh..." Teddie looked at the white-haired canine. "So Koro-chan is truly a special dog... pretty impressive..."

Yosuke looked at the blonde-haired bishounen before he talked to Kanji "Is it just me or Teddie becoming more serious all these days?"

"Do you realize it too, Senpai?" Kanji looked at Teddie as he talked to Yosuke.

Soon after that, Ryoji, Aigis and Naoto came to the food court. The detective's movement seemed a little sluggish since she had just recovered. Aigis helped her to walk as Ryoji came to the group with an unusual solemn expression.

As all of them sat, all eyes focused to Naoto. Realizing all eyes were on her, Naoto closed her eyes as she said "I-I'm sorry... I couldn't protect Rise that time..."

"It's not your fault, Naoto-kun..." said Chie.

"Enough with these pity-go-rounds, I'm sure Senpai has something to show us..." said Kanji before he looked at the silverette. Souji nodded before he took out the note and DVD which he got yesterday. Naoto took the note and looked at it.

"Stop pursuing me or prepare to suffer an immediate consequence..." Naoto read the note. "There's no doubt that the sender was Tsukuyomi..."

"Yeah... but, what does that mean? Suffer an immediate consequence? Will something happen if we search for him?" asked Yukiko.

"I think... he's right. Since the last battle, Tsukuyomi cut the connection between the TV world and his place, Takamagahara... there's no way we could reach him in this rate. If we could, I'm not sure we will survive like our previous operation since Takamagahara itself is not a place which is formed in TV world, but created by Tsukuyomi..." said Ryoji.

"Same like Izanami who created Yomotsu Hirasaka..." added Souji.

"So... what should we co? We couldn't just sit around and do nothing, right?" said Fuuka. "Furthermore, they have Rise-chan as hostage..."

"That's why..." Minato took the DVD and showed it to all "We should see this. Fuuka, do you have your laptop here?"

"Y-Yes!" Fuuka took out her laptop from her bag and put it on the table. She switched it on and inserted the DVD into it. After some moments, a video came out.

_I presume all of you are watching this, children of human..._

"Tsukuyomi!!" Yukiko knew that voice which is owned by nobody but that Moon deity.

_I'm sorry for holding your 'precious' friend as hostage but that's the price for not stepping forward and willingly accepting the fate for being killed for the sake of human wishes, Seta Souji..._

"What?!" Souji seemed rattled.

_But, I don't care about it anymore... I realized that something better would happen if I let you, Seta Souji, alive... but as a precaution; this is an advice... stop pursuing me or prepare to suffer an immediate consequence..._

"What the hell he was talking about?" said Yosuke loudly.

_I know that in near future, another ordeal will be trusted upon all of you, children of human. I do nothing for that 'ordeal' though, since a great being would step forward and try to conquer darkness, something that I had tried to vanquish for so long..._

"A great being?" Yukiko seemed confused.

_Fate is sealed for a human being to have darkness within him from the day he started to breath until the day the breath would stop... I'm just fulfilling human requests to give them the ultimate darkness which they had sought for so long..._

"That won't justify his action though..." said Mitsuru.

_Ah, I have something to show to all of you..._

The video changed its angle and Tsukuyomi was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a young woman in silky red kimono was on the video, much to the group's surprise since they knew the woman was Rise.

_H-Hi! I'm Kujikawa Rise... sorry since this is all of a sudden. But I know all of you are watching this now._

"R-Rise?!" Kanji stood up. "What the hell this thing suppose to mean?!" he bellowed.

_I'm sorry I couldn't do anything that time... I want to apologize to all of you, especially Naoto-kun..._

"Me?" Naoto seemed confused.

_I wish I could help you that time, but I'm powerless... I can't do anything other than giving support from afar. I can even fight alongside all of you... I'm useless..._

"Rise..." spoke Naoto weakly.

_This is all my fault. It's all my fault that Naoto-kun, Fuuka-san, Koro-chan and others got hurt. And just like what Tsukuyomi-sama had said, stop pursuing him and stop searching me..._

"Rise-chan..." muttered Chie with the same expression as the female sleuth before she realized something was wrong. "Wait, -sama?"

"Did she say... Tsukuyomi-sama?" Yukiko realized it too.

_You've heard from Tsukuyomi-sama that a great being will emerge and stand against all of you, right? I'm sorry I couldn't help you guys this time since for now, I'm on Tsukuyomi-sama's side... I'm one of them now..._

"What?!" all of them were completely surprised by the shocking revelation, except Souji and Minato. It seemed they had seen the DVD earlier and found out the bad revelation earlier than the others. Ryoji seemed nonchalant for the information since he had predicted it earlier.

"Did she... betray us?" Akihiko stared on the screen with his grim expression.

_A traitor like me won't need saving... it's a matter of time before all of us face against each other and spill the final blood... but, I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry. Please let this traitor be and prepare to face that great being for the sake of mankind..._

No matter how dark the sentence was, tears could be seen flowing out from Rise's eyes.

_I'm sorry..._

Thus, the video ended.

Nobody dared to say anything as the video ended. Naoto couldn't believe what she had seen and heard. Yukiko seemed pale as Chie could be seen visibly shaking. Yosuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists after knowing Rise's betrayal. Minato and Ryoji closed their eyes, trying to hide their anxious expression. Junpei's eyes widened, totally confused by what he had seen. Yukari couldn't say anything and Mitsuru placed her palm on her head. Fuuka seemed terrified by the revelation as Koromaru butted his head on the green-haired woman's calf. Aigis couldn't help but to feel guilty as well. Akihiko groaned and slammed the table was the same as the others. Souji sighed heavily, indicating how serious their problem was and Kanji stood up and yelling "What are these suppose to mean?!"

Ryoji darkly replied "Isn't it obvious? Kujikawa Rise is now our enemy... she betrayed us..."

"You!!"

Kanji stood up and grabbed Ryoji's collar.

"You're saying she's betraying us? Don't make such a shitty statement like that, will ya?!" although Kanji seemed angry, he still could say those sentence properly.

"So? Are you seeing it in different way?" asked Ryoji again, showing no fear upon Kanji's wrath.

"Shut your trap! You... you never understand it!!" shouted Kanji.

"Kanji-kun!!" Naoto stood up despite her sluggishness.

"You never understand it since you are not human to begin with!!" Kanji couldn't control his anger towards Ryoji as his voice became louder, attracting other customers.

"Kanji-kun, stop it this instant!!" Naoto's voice was louder than earlier, making Kanji realized what he had done. He released his grab and sat on the chair with his annoyed expression.

"Kanji... we know what you mean. But don't be too carried away here. Look, everyone's looking at us..." sighed Yosuke as he looked at the other customers.

Ryoji sighed before he spoke "I understand... I understand how it feels when we are betrayed... but please look it positively. She did say she is one of them now and by that, we know they wouldn't put any danger on her..."

"I agree with Ryoji-san..." nodded Naoto. "She knew the risk yet she still agreed to be a part of them so we won't go after her to save her... that means she knows how dangerous it might be if we go to save her..."

"Ahh... I see what you mean, Naoto-kun..." said Chie. "As long as Rise-chan on their side, they won't put any harm on her..."

"And she did say about the great being and Tsukuyomi said that he won't stand on our way to fight the great being... is that mean..." Yukiko seemed to be thinking, "He already achieved his goal? By having Rise-chan on his side?"

"I'm afraid that's true..." spoke Minato. "Evil-minded and cunning as he is, I could say he's saying the truth... he's leaving the task of eliminating this 'great being' with Kujikawa Rise on his side as the compensation... what a way to do it..."

All of them sighed in unison.

"Man... this is complicated than I thought..." sighed Yosuke.

"Yeah, that's true..." nodded Ken.

"Anyway, how suppose we know about this 'great being'?" asked Yukari. "Tsukuyomi didn't mention it earlier, right?"

"You're right... he left us with this task without any clue..." agreed Chie.

"Ryoji..." Souji looked at the black-haired man. "Since you're a 'great' being like Tsukuyomi, do you have any idea about this 'great being'?" the silverette asked Ryoji.

Ryoji smiled before he shook his head. "I don't know either... and if I know it, I won't tell you guys since I'm more like a consultant than an ally..."

"Hmph, figures... I guess he's useless as well..." sighed Yosuke.

"Hey, hey!! What do you mean by useless?!" asked Ryoji.

Naoto sighed sagely as she tapped her finger on the table. "This matter is too hard for us, mortals to think of... at least we need something or someone to be asked about this 'great being'..."

Suddenly, an idea came into Souji's thought. He took out Izanami's invitation and put it on the table.

"What with this card, Souji-kun?" asked Yukiko.

"Naoto did say about asking someone, right? How about if we ask someone who might know about this 'great being'?" said Souji.

"Who should we ask to about this? Don't tell me you're telling us to ask people around about this 'great being'..." Yosuke shook his head.

"That won't do it..." said Fuuka.

"That's why we should ask someone who might know about this 'great being'... there's no way for normal people to know about this. At least we should ask someone who is mightier..."

"Mightier? Wait, do you mean..." Chie looked at her leader's face.

"Yes, we will ask a god... or rather a goddess..."

"A goddess? Do you mean... oh shit..." Yosuke realized what Souji was talking about.

"Yeah, we will ask Izanami..."

~darkness~

In an abandoned warehouse, seven people gathered around a plain mirror. All of them closed their eyes. Then a whispery yet nightmarish voice could be heard.

_And so it begins..._

~darkness~

"Izanami?! Are you kidding me?!" shouted Yosuke, didn't believe what he had heard earlier.

"Yep, Izanami... Goddess of Life and Death, Ruler of Yomi, the one who we had fought five years ago and the one who responsible in planting the 'seeds' into her chosen ones... she might know something..." said Souji.

"Wait, wait... how could you ask her about that?" asked Kanji, still didn't recover from his shocked state.

Souji raised the black card. "That's why, I have this card... some days ago, I met Izanami in her disguise and gave me this thing, an invitation to Yomi..."

"An invitation... to Yomi?" Yukiko's eyes were focused on the card.

"Are you sure? Are you sure this is not a trap?" asked Chie. "I mean... come on! We're talking about a place where all deads gather, right? And Izanami, are you sure she won't do anything to us?"

"We won't know until we try..." said Souji. "So, are you with me?"

Yosuke sighed. "I never knew you're this stubborn, Souji... but, count me in..." he smirked. "I want to see what Yomi actually look like..."

"Me too... if Senpai say so, I'm in..." said Kanji.

"Count me in!!" said Teddie.

"I guess it can't be helped... I'll follow you too..." Yukiko nodded.

"Yomi sounds scary, but whatever... I'm going!!" Chie seemed to be full of spirit.

"I'm going too..." said Naoto. "I want to know what kind of 'great being' that Rise was talking about..."

Souji smiled triumphantly. "So it has been decided, right? Minato-san, are you going too?" he looked at the bluenette.

"It depends on how others..." he looked at the rest of SEES.

"I'm going..." said Akihiko. "Yomi, huh? Well, bring it on!!"

"Duh!! Yomi or whatever, never fear, Junpei's here!!" then Junpei spoke as Minato looked at him.

"Hey Stupei, don't act like a child!!" bellowed Yukari. "Hmm... it sounds scary, but I'm sure we'll be alright. I'm in..."

"I guess I'm in too..." the red-haired woman spoke casually.

"I'll be following you, Minato-san! Even if we're going into hell!!" Aigis stood up and stated those words boldly.

"Aigis... hell sounds scary..." Fuuka looked at the standing gynoid. "Well... I'm sure I can't help much, but since Rise-chan isn't here, I'll take over support..."

"Bark! Bark!" Koromaru barked.

"He says 'I'm going too!'..." translated Aigis.

"Fuuka-san, are you sure you'll be alright? You're still recovering, right?" said Ken, seemingly worried about the green-haired woman.

"I'm alright, Ken-kun..." Fuuka smiled.

"Alright, to hell with Yomi! I'm going in!!" declared Ken.

"Ahh... that's good to be young..." said Ryoji with a smug smile. "Alright, I'll follow you guys just in case..."

"So, it has been decided, right? Into the Yomi!"

"Banzai!!"

~darkness~

Phew, finally... chapter 27 is done after several editing. I guess there's no need to explain about this chapter. Anyway, Merry Christmas for those who celebrate it. Last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	28. Journey Into The Netherworld

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 28: Journey into the Netherworld

After preparing themselves with equipments and weapons, all Persona-users from SEES and Investigation Squad once again ventured into the world inside the TV. Their objective was the same; to go to the Yomi and meet Izanami, face to face.

"Fuuka, did you find it?" asked Minato to the green-haired woman, who was summoning her Persona, Juno.

"Yeah, I feel someone was here... it just that I need more time to pinpoint the location..." said Fuuka, concentrating on seaching for that 'someone'.

"That's a good thing we have Fuuka-san here..." commented Yosuke, looking at the Persona, which looked like a tall woman with a mask on her face. "And that's a bad thing we don't have Rise right now..."

"Yosuke-senpai..." Naoto looked at the brunette man coldly. "If you could, please don't mention her name here..." she spoke to the man darkly, making the man gulped.

"Uhh... sorry, my bad..." Yosuke scratching his head. "Oh yeah. Souji, how did you meet Izanami?"

"She's in Inaba all these time to observe us..." replied Souji.

"Oh, I see... w-wait!! Did you say... she's in Inaba?" Yosuke's eyes widened as Souji mentioned about Izanami being in Inaba all these time.

"Yes. That's what I've said earlier..." nodded Souji.

"Most of the gods are cunning. And this pervert idiot is a perfect example for that..." Minato gestured to the raven-haired man beside him. "I don't know how much he took from my wallet just to buy those silly magazines since I return to this world..."

"Hey!! Don't make it sounds like that! It makes me feel bad!" protested Ryoji.

"I-I found it!" exclaimed Fuuka. "I can vividly sense someone's presence..." Juno vanished before the green-haired woman pointed to a certain direction. "It's there..."

Souji looked at the direction before an image appeared within his thought in a flash. An image of red torii made him realized what the image was about.

"I know that place..." said Souji. "It's the place Izanami had created before..."

Naoto nodded, agreeing with her leader. "Yomotsu Hirasaka, right?"

"Now you mention it..." Teddie seemed to be thinking. "All places that had been created before disappeared except that one, but I never think of it..."

"Now that we already know the place, let's go!"

~darkness~

It was weird to walk around the nest of Shadows without being attacked by them. They walked across some Shadows and those monsters didn't attack them.

"It's weird, isn't it? They didn't attack us..." commented Chie as she looked at a lion-like Shadow with a chained iron ball, which was just looking at the group of Persona-users without attacking them. The thing became weirder as the lion-like creature lowered its head, seemingly bowing to the group.

"They welcomed us here..." said Ryoji.

"It's good rather than fighting with 'em..." nodded Ken.

"You're right, Ken-kun..." Fuuka agreed with the brunette boy. "Fighting them would only tire us all..."

"But... it still feels weird..." Yukari looked at the Shadows around them. They just stared at the group without any slightest hint of attacking them.

"Anyway, we should hurry... we don't know what's up ahead..." said Souji.

"Souji-kun? You sound different today... what's wrong with you..." asked Yukiko.

Souji smiled slightly to his girlfriend "I'm alright..."

Their journey was a lot easier than they had been thinking of. No Shadows came to attack them until they arrived at the end of the dungeon. At the entrance, a female gas-attendant was seemingly waiting for the group's arrival.

"Ahh... so you've come. I've been expecting all of you..." said the attendant.

"We've come, Izanami..." Souji took out the black invitation and showed it to the gray-haired woman.

"W-What!? She's Izanami?!" exclaimed Yosuke, seemingly shocked by seeing Izanami's disguised form. "I've seen her everyday at Shopping District!!"

"You're right, Hanamura Yosuke... I am Izanami..." Izanami closed her eyes before her body being covered by mist and a gray-haired woman with white dress replaced the attendant's place. "I am here to lead all of you to my place, Yomi..."

"Are you sure you're not going to make any harm of us?" asked Naoto as a precaution. The goddess of Death smiled to them.

"Be worried not, children of humans... I have no attention to put any danger to any of you. And I know all of you are quite in disadvantage by having one of your precious friends being held by Tsukuyomi..." answered Izanami. "And since I have some times to kill, I decided to give some help to you people..."

"Err... since when you're becoming so chippy?" asked Souji.

"Staying in Inaba might be one of the causes if you need an answer for that..." replied Izanami before she turned back, facing the red torii. "Anyway, before we enter this place, it's advisable for all of you to hold each other's hand and Souji leads your way..."

"Well, okay..." nodded Souji as he stuffed the black card. All of them were forming a long line as they were holding each other's hands. Then Izanami walked through the torii and entered a dimensional place. The place was dark and gloomy and they could hear moaning and groaning voices.

"Uhh... Yukiko, do you hear that?" Chie tightened her grip to Yukiko's hand.

"Yeah..." nodded Yukiko. "It's scary..."

"Don't worry. They're just the voices of the deads... as long as you're still in the line, they won't give harm to any of you..." said Izanami. After some minutes of travel, finally they arrived in front of another torii and a building which looked like a shrine was beyond the red gate. Some beautiful females with black kimono were welcoming them.

"Welcome back, Okami-sama..." greeted the females.

"They are Yomotsu Shikomes, my assistants in Yomi..." the goddess introduced the women. Then some cloaked men, equipped with naginatas which were same like the one Izanagi owned, came and lined up along the entrance. "And for your information, they are Ikusas, Yomi's watchdogs..."

"I thought they might look scarier..." commented Ken, looking at the waitresses and guards.

"You're right, Amada Ken... for your people's sake, we assumed our fabricated appearance instead of our true form..." explained Izanami with a faint smile. In an instant, Ken could swear that he saw a glimpse of Izanami's true form; a face with rotten flesh, less in a second. Ken gulped before he turned his face from the goddess.

"Uhh... never mind then..." said Ken.

"Anyway, you of all people are welcomed here, the place of deads, Yomi..." said Izanami. "Don't worry about your safety as long as you are here..." then she walked into the shrine-like palace and the line which consisted of the Persona-users from SEES and Investigation Squad followed her. Then they stopped in a plain-looking antechamber as Izanami turned to the group.

"Somehow, I wish I could speak to those who had defeated me five years ago, in my chamber..." said Izanami. "I wish Seta Souji and his friends are the only those who will be following me into my chamber and the rest should be waiting here..."

"U-Us?!" Chie pointed her finger to herself.

"Seekers of the Truth, follow me..." Izanami continued to walk into her chamber before she took a glance to the SEES members. "And for the rest of you, make yourself at home, even if you are in the middle of hell..."

As for that, Izanami entered the chamber, followed by the Persona-users, nicknamed as the Seekers of the Truth or Investigation Squad, leaving the rest in the antechamber.

"So, what should we do?" asked Junpei, looking around the chamber.

"It is wise for all of us to stay in low-profile... we're not anywhere but in Yomi. Making a wrong step might make you one of its residents too..." said Minato, closing his eyes.

Junpei gulped as his best friend said something like that. "Dude! Don't say like that!! That's scary!! I still have my wife!!"

"Keep your voice down Stupei!!" shouted Yukari.

"Guys! Keep it down, will you?!" hissed Akihiko to the bickering duo.

"Sorry..." the brunette woman lowered her head.

Meanwhile, Fuuka seemed tense and Aigis realized it. The blonde gynoid leaned in and asked the green-haired seer "Are you alright, Fuuka-san? You look pale..."

"U-Umm... it's nothing..." Fuuka tried to cover her anxiety by shaking her head. Aigis tilted her head before she spoke to her "If you got problem, feel free to tell us, okay?"

Fuuka nodded. After that, the green-haired woman looked around her before she looked at the Shikomes and Ikusas. She concentrated her Persona power into her eyes, activating her infamous seer technique, Mind Eye. As she opened her eyes, her eyes turned into glowing green.

But that was a wrong decision to be made for a seer like her. As she activated her Mind Eye, she saw something that she shouldn't see. The beautiful waitresses and the guards turned into their true form in Fuuka's mind. The Shikomes turned into pale-looking women with ugly appearance as the Ikusas turned into twisted-looking demons.

"Uhh!!" Fuuka clutched her head, trying to deactivate her Mind Eye. Aigis realized it and held Fuuka's shoulder.

"Fuuka-san!! What's wrong?!" the gynoid asked the woman. The green-haired woman panted heavily as she successfully deactivated her magic eyes. She looked at Aigis' face and spoke to her darkly.

"We're in hell..."

~darkness~

Izanami and Investigation Squad arrived in Izanami's chamber. Like the antechamber, it was undecorated and plain. Nothing was there except a throne in the middle of the chamber which might be made from skulls and bones. Scary as it might look like, the remains of the deads were arranged perfectly to make a majestic-looking throne, suitable for Izanami as the Goddess of Death.

"Welcome to my chamber, children of humans..." said Izanami before she descended on her throne and set herself casually on it. "So, shall we begin now?"

All Persona-users sat on the floor. Naoto looked at Souji and the silverette nodded before he spoke "Please tell us why Tsukuyomi took Rise instead of killing me?"

Izanami sighed before she answered "It is because he saw that by taking your precious friend, Kujikawa Rise into his side, the advantage is the same as killing you..."

"Why would he do that?" asked Naoto, seemingly desperate.

"Seta Souji's existence was a mere obstacle for Tsukuyomi's vision, to engulf the humanity in pure darkness... but he failed to do it, so he sought for an alternative..." explained Izanami.

"An alternative?" asked Yosuke.

"Yes, instead of wiping the obstacle for the coming of the darkness, isn't it better for him to call upon the darkness? That's a more efficient way than to spill more unnecessary blood..."

All Persona-users gasped by hearing that. Kanji stood up and asked "So, they took Rise because they thought Rise would call upon darkness?"

"That's was the idea so far..." nodded Izanami.

"That's crazy!! Rise won't do that!!" exclaimed Naoto, losing her bearing. She stood up like Kanji.

"But she betrayed you, right? She did say about it and you heard of it, am I wrong?" said Izanami.

"Yeah, but..." Naoto couldn't find any suitable word to be used against Izanami's statement.

"Naoto-kun..." Yukiko looked at the standing sleuth.

"Anyway, what about the 'great being' that Tsukuyomi had mentioned earlier? Does it have anything to do with the darkness Tsukuyomi had said?" asked Souji to the goddess.

"Hmm... the great being..." mused Izanami. "It's been a while since I heard about it..." Izanami stood up from her throne. "It seems that the great being is something that would surpass anything that you had fought earlier... it waited for more than thousands of years, waiting for the blood of maidens... its existence itself on your world was undeniably something that might be the last thing for human beings to remember..." then she closed her eyes. "And the great being has nothing to do with Tsukuyomi's vision, than being a mere nuisance... and he entrusts the duty to prevent the great being's awakening to you people; a way that was far more cunning than any god had done before..."

"Just tell us what it is?" demanded Souji.

"Fufufufufu... you're quite impatient nowadays, Seta Souji..." Izanami chuckled as she covered her mouth with the long sleeve of her white dress. "It's up to you to search for it, children of humans..."

Souji sighed before he spoke "That's all?"

"I think those are the essential information that you people should know... you may leave now..." said Izanami.

All Persona-users stood up, prepared to walk out of the chamber. But Souji seemed to be thinking.

"Izanami... I have a favor to ask to you..." said Souji. Izanami frowned.

"What is it?" the goddess seemed curious.

"You're the one who gave me this power, right? The power to call upon the other self..." Souji looked directy at Izanami as he raised his hand.

"That's correct; part of it..." nodded Izanami. "What's the favor you wish to ask me for?"

"Since the seed you had planted within me is coming from you, I want to know how strong the power could be..." said Souji.

"My... you're quite passionate about your power as well..." commented Izanami. "Yes, the seed that I planted within you by a slight push is something indefinite. It has no real shape but once it's connected with one's soul, it would be molded and shaped into something definite, and it took form as Izanagi, your Persona..." explained the goddess.

"I know there's more about this power that I haven't known... if you have a way to strengthen the power, please tell me..." demanded Souji.

"Souji-kun?" Chie looked at the silverette.

After some moments of pause, Izanami smiled slightly as she looked directly at Souji's face. "Are you sure you want to get more about this power? You are quite greedy too..."

"Bring it on..." Souji prepared himself as he took out his katana from his jacket.

"Ahh... you're quite something, Seta Souji..." commented Izanami. "But remember, every great strength needs great sacrifice... I would gladly give the thing you've sought; the power..."

Izanami raised her hand before the chamber turned into a place filled with rotten flesh and maggots. Then some zombie-like creatures came out from the rotten meat-like walls. Chie shrieked in surprised as Yosuke hurriedly took out his daggers. Yukiko too was surprised by the sudden change of the place and prepared her fan. Naoto reloaded her revolver as Kanji prepared for any attack. Teddie who was surprised like the others tried to prepare his weapon as well.

"Like I have said, every great strength needs great sacrifice, Seta Souji... it's not only about yourself, but about your precious friends as well..."

"You said you wouldn't give any harm on us!!" shouted Naoto, shooting at some approaching zombie-like creatures with her revolver.

"Sorry, but it can't be helped at all... that leader of yours insisted to have a glimpse of his fate, unintentionally ignoring his comrades' safety..." replied Izanami casually. "Furthermore, it's been a while since they got a chance to have fresh meat. Hope you can give special treatment for all of them..."

"Souji-kun, what are these all about?" asked Yukiko, making a wall of fire to slow down the enemies' progress.

"Senpai, what's the meaning of this?!" Kanji shouted as he slammed two zombie-like creatures with the metal signboard that he was carrying.

Souji scowled, realizing that part of these were his fault and he couldn't help it than to correct it. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't bring you guys... but it doesn't matter anymore..."

He put his sword on the fleshy floor as he raised both his hands and two blue cards appeared, spinning on his palms. All eyes were looking at the silverette with awe since they never saw the phenomenon before; two Persona cards appeared in a same time. They knew Souji could summon multiple Personas, but summoning two Personas in the same time was new for them.

"Since no matter how dangerous it might be, I'll be protecting you guy!!" Souji crushed both cards and two Personas appeared. One was his initial Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana and another one was his ultimate Persona, Izanagi-no-Okami of the World Arcana. Both incarnations of the God of Creation raised their respective spears, Amenonuhoko before spinning them around, creating some kind of lightning trails, cutting and slashing those creatures into pieces.

"Hmm... it seems you've grown stronger than before..." Izanami commented the silverette's newfound power. "But could the power fight against the next trial?"

She snapped her fingers before all of the Persona-users, saved for Souji, were surrounded by shadow. All of them were agitated as tendrils came out from the shadow, preventing them from moving.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Yosuke.

"Uhh... Sensei, what's going on?!" Teddie asked his Sensei because the things that happened were too complicated for him.

Then, Kanji felt something was odd as they trapped by the tendrils.

"My body feels weaker... what's going on?" he muttered.

"Me too..." Chie agreed with Kanji.

"Guys, watch out!! They're absorbing our energy!!" Yukiko realized what was going on as she felt like others too.

Then, Naoto wheezed and coughed, signifying that her body became weaker too. "This can't be happening... what should we do?"

"Guys!!" Souji picked his katana and ran towards the closest comrade, Yosuke. "Don't worry Yosuke, I'll save you!!"

**"Saving me from what?!"**

Souji's eyes widened as the voice resembled Yosuke's Shadow self before he felt a hard kick on his stomach. He was thrown behind by a strong force and his body slammed on the fleshy wall. Then he realized Yosuke was unconscious and a doppleganger began to take its form.

**"Are you trying to 'save' me, 'partner'?"** the doppleganger took its form like Yosuke's Shadow version. Then others also seemed to be unconscious as well as their Shadow version began to take their shape.

"What?" Souji stood up and prepared himself. The yellow-eyed demonic version of his best buddy laughed as he took the daggers from the unconscious Yosuke and pointed one of them to Souji.

**"Then, try to save yourself from this!!"** demonic Yosuke dashed forwards and attacked Souji. The silverette couldn't do anything than parrying the attacks.

Izanami chuckled as she observed the fight.

"Well then, it's not only about your friends, but also their hearts... you're now fighting against their true desire..."

~darkness~

Finally, another chapter completed. It's a bit saddening since only a few reviewed this story. Well, it can't be helped at all. This might be the beginning of the intense action-packed chapter for Yomi's Arc and the next chapter might be the climax. Anyway, Happy New Year and happy reading and reviewing (please drop some building reviews instead of the short one, would you?)

Albireo Imma


	29. I'll Face Myself

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 29: I'll Face Myself

"Maaaan!!! I'm hungry! Is there something I can eat?" groaned Junpei. They had done nothing in the antechamber except waiting for the others from Investigation Squad to get their business with Izanami done.

"Junpei-kun... you shouldn't say something like that..." reminded Fuuka. "Beside that, this is Yomi. For your information, if we eat the food from Yomi, we'll turn into ones of its residents as well..."

"Fuuka... what a scary statement from that kind face of yours..." commented Yukari. "And since I knew it would end up like this, I've prepared it ready..." the brunette woman put her bag pack in front of her and took out a container. It contained some handmade onigiris.

"Woaahh!! Yuka-tan!! You're my lifesaver!!"

Junpei rushed in and took some onigiris and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Hey, Stupei!! Stop doing that!!" yelled Yukari.

Fuuka tried to calm Yukari down as Junpei continued to eat the onigiris. Ken couldn't help but to step aback so he wouldn't be included into the feud. Akihiko sighed as he took one onigiri and ate it. Although Aigis seemingly doesn't need to eat those things, she reached to the onigiri and took a bite on it.

"Sorry for causing you trouble..." said Minato apologetically to one of the Shikomes.

"No problem at all..." the fabricated form of foul lady in Yomi shook her head.

Then Aigis looked at the door which leaded to Izanami's chamber.

"Would they be alright there?" Aigis seemed worry. "I feel something happened to Souji-san..."

Ryoji looked at the door before he shrugged. Then he muttered with such a low voice.

"He's facing himself..."

~darkness~

Souji parried evil Yosuke's strike by using his katana. The silverette searched for opening so he could make a counterstrike but Yosuke himself is an agile-typed warrior who depends on his speed to attack his opponent. It caused some difficulty for him to find the opening.

**"Where are you looking at, partner? Looking for my weakness?"** asked the evil Yosuke mockingly before he took some steps aback. Then he crouched, assuming a familiar stance like the genuine Yosuke before some kind of majestic light poured out from his body.

"What?!" Souji's eyes widened as he recognized the stance. It was a stance for Yosuke to summon his own other self, Persona.

**"Kick his ass, Susano-O!!"** the evil Yosuke crushed the appearing card and Susano-O of Magician Arcana appeared above him. The majestic-looking Persona put his hand on the massive shuriken and threw it towards Souji. The silverette barely dodged the attack before he heard a mocking voice behind him and the voice resembled someone he utterly knows.

**"What's the matter, Souji-kun? He's trying to kick your ass... why don't you kick his ass as well?"** it was Chie, or appropriately evil Chie.

"Chie?" Souji turned towards the evil version of the kung fu-loving lady before he took a glance to the authentic Chie, who was seemingly unconscious.

**"If you don't, let me do it! Let me kick your ass!!"** evil Chie darted towards the silverette and launched several kicks towards him. For someone who had trained with Chie for sometimes, Souji managed to dodge and evade from her strikes. Before he could make a counterstrike, he sensed another approaching danger and he kicked the evil Chie on her stomach, sending her behind. He raised his katana, shielding him from an approaching fiery fan.

**"Tch! It doesn't work that way...**" the fan rebounded towards someone's hand, which happened to be Yukiko, or evil Yukiko. Then she looked at Souji, who was seemingly petrified, with her yellow eyes before she spoke to him with the original Yukiko's voice mockingly.

**"What's with that face, Souji-kun? Or should I ask, what's with 'those' faces, Souji-kun?!"**

"Faces? What do you mean 'faces'?!" asked Souji before he felt a hard strike on his back and was sent forwards and rolled to evil Yukiko's legs. He grunted and tried to pick himself, as well as to look at the attacker. Then again, his eyes widened as he saw evil Kanji, smirking triumphantly as he put the signboard on his shoulder.

**"What's wrong, senpai? This ain't like you at all?"** asked evil Kanji mockingly.

Souji tried to get up but he felt a hard kick on his stomach. He looked up and might be scarred for life as evil Yukiko stepped on his stomach. Then she kicked his face. Evil Yosuke chuckled as he approached Souji and pulled his silver hair and pulled him upwards.

**"You're such a pain in the ass, 'partner'... that mug of yours..."** evil Yosuke clenched his fist.

**"Makes me sick!!"** evil Yosuke shouted as he punched Souji's face. He was thrown behind befoe he stopped at someone's legs. He looked up and saw Teddie in his evil form. The evil Teddie raised his fist and punched Souji's stomach.

"Gaaah!!" the silverette coughed out blood. Then another one came and crouched. It was evil Naoto. She placed her revolver on Souji's shoulder before he fired several bullets on it. Realizing on how painful Naoto's attacks were, Souji screamed in pain.

**"Make him stand, Teddie..."** ordered Naoto. Teddie lifted the injured silverette and made him stood up. Naoto placed her revolver on Souji's chest as she spoke to him with such a dark tone.

**"What exactly are you doing, Souji-senpai? Are you trying to abandon us? Trying to abandon your friends? Huh?"** asked evil Naoto before she hit Souji's face with her revolver.

"..." Souji couldn't say anything.

**"At first, we could say you're special, suit you as our leader... an ability to summon multiple Personas, isn't that against the nature? Why would someone have multiple selves and why it has to be you?!"** asked evil Yosuke.

"I..." Souji tried to find suitable word for that, but he couldn't.

**"Persona, a manifestation of our other self... but you can use many. So, if you have many 'faces', which face you really are?"** asked evil Chie. Then, Teddie threw Souji away and the silverette rolled on the rotten fleshy floor before he eventually stopped on the wall.

**"And I bet that shitfaces of yours are just some mere masks... masks that can be broken to reveal that shitheaded face, your true face..."** the evil Kanji spoke.

Then evil Yukiko came and pressed her leg on Souji's chest, making the man groaned in agony. **"So, Souji-kun, could we break those masks of yours? We want to see your true face, your true feeling, your true heart..."** she lifted her leg and Naoto came in. She aimed her revolver on Souji's left chest.

**"Or maybe we couldn't..."** said evil Naoto with a smirk. **"Since you'll die here..."**

She pulled the trigger and a bullet came out.

Bang!!

Souji felt something had stabbed him on his chest before he saw his clothes being stained by red liquid. Then he felt somehow very weak as his vision blurred.

And the last thing he could remember was the squishy surface of the fleshy floor, touched his head.

~darkness~

"W-Where am I?"

The silverette slowly opened his eyes before he realized what had happened. He frantically stood up and checked his body and found no injury, even a gash couldn't be seen. But he remembered being beaten by those faked friends. Okay, maybe not that faked. They were the same like he had encountered years ago. They were their Shadows.

"Why am I here?"

_It seems you have awaken, Seta Souji..._

"Who's there?" Souji frantically searched for the source of the new voice. Then he saw something or someone who was utterly familiar to him.

"I-Izanagi?"

_It's good seeing you in here..._

The figure walked nearer to him and it appeared as Izanagi, Souji's initial Persona. Unlike his Persona form, he was smaller, about Souji's size. His spear, Amenonuhoko was in his hand. The masked Persona looked at Souji with his glowing yellow eyes.

_Are you searching for the truth?_

Souji instinctively nodded.

_The truth is there to be found, but it always be hidden by fog, be obscured by darkness, be covered by lies and be surrounded by falseness... the more your steps into taking a glimpse of truth, the thicker the fog might be..._

The lines were familiar for Souji as he remembered those words being mentioned either by Izanami, Igor or someone else.

_Only those who had conquered their fear, had vanquished their darkness, could see through the fog, could see through the falseness... but your mind, it's covered by fog, by hesitation..._

"Hesitation?" Souji frowned.

_You know those you had fought were just your friends' imitation, yet the confusion filled your mind, and the fog thickened, hindering you from making a firm decision..._

"I-I don't know... I terribly don't know... maybe I couldn't fight them because of my feeling..." said Souji.

_Relationship... once you're trapped into its maze, you won't be able to get out from it... the bonds you had made with them, which had helped you all these time throughout your journey, becoming a disadvantage for you..._

"So, what should I do?" asked Souji.

_Although you are hesitated, your true heart yearning for it... the things that made you hesitated is not your feeling, but your relationship... your heart knows it..._

"My heart... knows?" Souji seemed puzzled. "What does that mean?"

_Soon, you'll find the answer. Before that, I'll give a way to win this battle, to win against this hesitation..._

"How?"

_The way is... to be your true self... to be a Shadow..._

"What?! To be a Shadow?! How could I be that?!" the answer brought more confusions to him. "And... do I have it? Do I have a true self?"

_Yes, you do... I know it, because I am you..._

After several moments of thinking, Souji smiled slightly before he spoke.

"Yes, you're right... I have my true self... everyone has it, but it takes time for me to find it..."

_And mind to share it with me?_

"My true self is merely someone..."

Souji wouldn't see it, but it was true that Izanagi was smiling. A card appeared in front of Souji and it landed on his palm. Izanagi's body glowed before he dissipated into tiny particles, which were then assimilated by Souji.

"Who wears a mask..."

_Good job... now, go and reach for the truth!!_

"Anyway, I have a question for you before I go... are you really Izanagi?"

_Hmm... That's true, part of it... I'm just a fragment of Izanagi's memories... now, I am you, and you are me..._

"Yes, there's no mistake about it..."

~darkness~

**"Hmph!! He's not moving..."** said the evil Yosuke as he spun one of his daggers on his hand. **"I'll finish him now, can I?"** he looked at Izanami.

"Feel free..." replied Izanami casually even though she was mildly disappointed by Souji's defeat.

Evil Yosuke laughed before he placed one of his hands beside him, intending to end Souji's life with a slash.

**"Goodbye, partner!!"**

Evil Yosuke attacked the unconscious Souji with a sweep but something odd happened. Instead of beheading Souji, one of the silverette's hands blocked the strike.

**"Are you really wish to finish me, Yosuke?"** the voice came out from Souji, but it sounded different. It was exceptionally low, nightmarish and deadly. Souji looked up and revealed two yellow eyes.

**"What?!"**

**"Then I'll finish you first!!"** Souji grabbed Yosuke's hand before he pulled it, tearing it apart from Yosuke's hand. The evil Yosuke screamed in pain as Souji separated his hand from its place.

**"Tch! What a weakling..."** Souji threw away the hand before he picked his katana. Then, the katana transmogrified into something else, something long and black. It turned out to be Izanagi's naginata, Amenonuhoko.

**"Heat Riser!!"** he announced before his body engulfed by majestic light. Then he dashed forward and stabbed evil Yosuke's torso.

**"Ngh!!"** groaned evil Yosuke as the long weapon penetrated his body.

**"So long, partner..."** Souji spun the weapon, creating some kind of electrified trails on their own. Evil Yosuke's body was severely cut by the weapon.

**"Gaaah!!"** evil Yosuke shrieked in agony before his body turned into ashes. Other evil versions of Investigation Squad were taken aback by seeing evil Yosuke's demise.

**"The power... it is something different than before..."** Souji spoke before he started to laugh. **"Hehehehehe... hahahahahahaha!!!! It's feeling nice!!"**

Soon after that, his jacket transmogrified into Izanagi's long jacket and a visor appeared on his face. His hair also seemed to grow longer. Then he looked at others before saying **"Next?"**

Evil Chie attacked Souji but all her attacks were deflected easily. Then she took some steps behind before summoning Suzuka Gongen.

**"God's Hand!!"**

A golden hand appeared above Souji and slammed him. But evil Chie's eyes widened as Souji blocked the attack with just a hand.

**"Quite good for you, Chie..."** commented Souji before he dashed forward and make a diagonal slash, beheading evil Chie. Her body turned into ashes before her head could touch the floor.

**"Hmmm... how about next?"** Souji looked around before he saw evil Teddie. **"Ah, it might look nice..."**

In a split second, his naginata flew towards evil Teddie and stabbed him, nailing him on the fleshy wall. Evil Teddie tried to release himself from it but failed to do so. Souji walked slowly towards Teddie before he raised his clawed hand.

**"Let your Sensei kill you..."** said Souji before he crushed Teddie's head by his hand. Evil Teddie screamed before he turned into ashes, like the two others before.

**"Hiyaaah!!"** then evil Kanji approached Souji from behind. But Souji could do better as he pulled out the naginata and slashed it vertically, cutting evil Kanji into halves. He also turned into ashes.

Evil Naoto approached him and summoned Yamato Takeru. The Persona of Fortune Arcana launched Vorpal Blade towards Souji, but the silverette managed to dodge it. Before evil Naoto could do anything, Souji stabbed her chest.

**"Huh?!"** that was evil Naoto's reaction before Souji pushed the weapon downwards. Evil Naoto shrieked in pain before she dissipated into ashes.

**"And the last one... is you..."** Souji looked at evil Yukiko. Before evil Yukiko could do anything, Souji dashed forward and cut both evil Yukiko's hands. She shrieked in agony as her two hands were cut by Souji. Then Souji cut her two feet and she fell on the floor.

**"Hmph..."** Souji looked at the now-injured evil Yukiko without any slight clue of symphaty on her.

**"Souji-kun..."** evil Yukiko tried to convince Souji to spare her by using the authentic Yukiko's voice. **"Don't kill me... I love you..."**

Souji looked at the evil Yukiko before he placed the tip of his weapon on her forehead.

**"Yes, I love you too... but not you. I love Yukiko..."**

Souji stabbed evil Yukiko's forehead, thus killing her. She turned into ashes as Souji removed the weapon. After that, Souji reverted into normal.

"Aren't you done yet?" asked Souji.

Izanami chuckled before she spoke. "My... I'm impressed, Seta Souji... you've shown your quality as my chosen one... good for you, and the trial is over..."

Souji looked at his unconscious comrades before he demanded to Izanami "Please wake them up..."

"Ahh... about that... before I could allow you out from this place, I have a request for you..." said Izanami.

"What is that?" asked Souji.

"Could you please..."

Somehow, Izanami blushed.

"Kiss me?"

Some imaginary birds flew by as additional actors for this scene.

"W-What?! I mean... what?!" Souji freaked out. "How am I supposed to do that?!"

"Just kiss me, or else..." said Izanami threateningly.

"Else?" Souji looked confused.

"I'll not allow all of you to get out from here..." declared Izanami.

"Ergh-urgh... well... alright..." finally Souji gave up. "How should I do that?" he asked Izanami.

"Just do what you would normally do to Amagi Yukiko..." said Izanami.

Souji blushed. "A-Alright..." he went towards Izanami and stood in front of her. Izanami was shorter than him, so he lowered his gaze to see her. He placed both his hands on Izanami's shoulder before he pressed his lips on Izanami's.

Somehow, Souji could felt Izanami was trembling. Izanami placed one of her hands behind Souji's head. He also saw tears came out from Izanami's eyes but he wasn't sure what that supposed to mean. Then he felt something 'hot' came out from Izanami's mouth, which then flowed into his throat.

"That should do it..." Izanami pulled her head behind and walked back to her throne. "Izanagi could do better that that though..."

Souji was stupefied by Izanami's action. Then he asked her "What are you giving to me?"

"Not much... just some of my power and other things..." replied Izanami. Then she raised her hand to the air and the chamber turned into the plain one. After that, all unconscious Persona-users were engulfed by golden light before they woke up.

"Uhh... what happened?" that was the first thing Chie could say as she lifted herself.

"I remembered about fighting those scary things but then, it became black..." said Yukiko as she stood up.

"Alright, the trial is over, and you may go now..." announced Izanami.

~darkness~

Phew... this chapter is completed... this chapter is about Souji found his new power, which is stronger than Minato. Thanks for those who reviewed last chapter. I'll try my best to reply them. Anyway, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	30. Serpent Eaters

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 30: Serpent Eaters

Several hours had passed since Investigation Squad entered Izanami's chamber. All onigiris had been eaten by the rest of SEES. Junpei and Ken were asleep. Yukari just walked around the antechamber. Fuuka and Mitsuru sat on the floor with the standard seiza position. Minato sat on the floor with his eyes closed as his other one self, Ryoji leaned on the wall. Akihiko stood beside Ryoji with the same fashion as him. Koromaru stood beside Aigis as the gynoid stood in front of the door anxiously.

"What's going on there?" Aigis muttered.

"Arf!" the white canine beside her barked.

"I know, I know... I'm worried about them too, especially Souji-san... I hope he's alright..." said Aigis to Koromaru.

Soon after that, the door opened and the Persona-users from Investigation Squad walked out of the chamber. Izanami followed them from behind.

"Guys, we're back..." said Souji.

All SEES members approached them. Aigis went towards Souji and asked "Are you alright? What's going on there? What with these gashes and wounds?"

Aigis checked Souji's body, which was seemingly injured with some wounds could be visibly seen. Ryoji chuckled before he walked forwards and petted Aigis' head.

"You know, this Aigis extremely worried about you back then..." said Ryoji with a smug grin.

"Ryoji!!" Aigis hit the back of the black-haired man's shoulder.

"Oww!!"

Souji smiled before he put his hand on Aigis' shoulder.

"Thanks a lot, Aigis-san... thanks for worrying about me..." said Souji thankfully. Aigis nodded and smiled.

"Not to spoil the moment here, but I have something to say to all of you..." said Izanami, attracting the attention of all Persona-users to her. "First of all, thank you for coming here... all information you need had been told to The Seekers of the Truth here, so ease your worries and you are pleased to go to the surface of your world with dignity..." said Izanami.

"You have been helping us, Izanami... thanks..." said Souji.

"Don't mention it..." replied Izanami. "Ahh... before I forget it, I want to remind you that once you used the card, it won't be able to be used anymore... so the way you go back to the surface is up to you people..."

"What?!" exclaimed most of them.

"Don't worry... the way up there is filled with living corpses and they are just small fries for you... and Seta Souji, the time for you to use your power has come..." said Izanami.

"Well... alright." Souji nodded. "Guys, let's go..."

They walked out from the chamber, leaving Izanami alone. The goddess sighed before she returned back to her chamber and laid herself on her throne. The she lowered her gaze before tears came out from her eyes.

"The kiss..." she touched her lips. "Although it won't be the same like Izanagi, it still tastes like his..."

~darkness~

"Woah, creepy!!" commented Chie as all of them saw a horde of zombie-like creatures all the way out from Yomi to Yomotsu Hirasaka.

"There's no way we can defeat them easily..." nodded Mitsuru, preparing her saber and Evoker.

Ryoji smirked before he walked forwards as his body glowed. "For that, leave it to the pro..." as he said that, his body was engulfed by purple cocoon before a massive humanoid creature emerged, armed with massive silver sword and have a cape of coffins behind him.

Hell, even those who had died never intended to face 'Death' again.

"I'll clear the way for you guys..." spoke Thanatos with his usual echoed voice.

Souji chuckled before he unsheathed his sword and closed his eyes.

"I think I should be a clearer too..."

He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of glowing yellow eyes. His weapon and clothes transfigured into long spear and long black coat. His hair grew longer and he smirked evilly.

**"Some dead bodies need to die again..."** Souji spoke before he walked slowly to Thanatos' side.

"Hmm... quite impressive..." commented Thanatos before he dashed forwards and ploughed his sword onto a horde of living corpses. Then Souji followed the god, slashing every single creature on his path. The rampaging demons were a nightmare for those zombie-like creatures, if they were sleeping.

"Is that... Souji-kun?" Fuuka asked others with her eyes wide open, seeing two demons in front of them, perishing every single monster in their way.

"Follow them from behind..." ordered Minato.

All of them followed both demons that cleared their path. All they had to do was just walked behind them and prepared to defend them if some monsters managed to escape their death from Thanatos and Souji. After some moments of travel, finally they returned to the entrance of Yomi, Yomotsu Hirasaka.

"Phew... that was close..." sighed Yukari, wiping the beads of sweat on her forehead.

Aigis nodded and smiled to the brunette woman. Meanwhile, Akihiko looked around and found something was wrong.

"Wait, something's wrong here..." said the white-haired police officer.

Fuuka looked at Akihiko before she looked at others. Then she finally realized something was totally wrong.

"Oh my..." Akihiko smacked his forehead with his hand.

"We left Junpei-kun and Ken-kun over there..."

Meanwhile in Yomi...

"Yaaaawn~ what a great dream I have, eh?"

Junpei opened his eyes and realized that he and Ken were left behind. The chamber was no longer with its plain looking, but rather in its authentic form; a chamber which was made by rotten meat and flesh. Ken also opened his eyes and gasped in horror as he saw the authentic scenery of the hell.

"Junpei-san, where's other?!" asked Ken in panic.

"I-I dunno!!" answered Junpei, frightened. Then, some Shikomes came towards them with their true appearance; rotten lady with ugly face.

"Uwaaah!" both poor living things scream in horror.

"My, my... what a big surprise here..."

Ken and Junpei turned their head and almost shocked to death as they saw a truly gigantic monster, which happened to be the true form of Izanami-no-Okami.

"Waaaaahh!!!"

Another hell for Amada Ken and Iori Junpei for now...

~darkness~

In an abandoned warehouse, seven people were gathering around a single mirror. A man with greasy yellow hair stood up from a rotten body before he took out a revolver.

"What's up, Takaya? Hungry for more killings again?" asked another man with spiky yellow hair. The man with piercing on his ears and lips just looked at Takaya with a mocking expression.

"Let me with my business alone, Solomon... or you'll become the one who I'll kill next..." said Takaya coldly as he aimed his revolver towards Solomon.

"Hey man, be cool!" said Solomon with slight anxiety. Even though they might be allies, he knew that someone who is cold-blooded like Takaya would not even bother to end his life with his revolver.

"Let him be, Solomon... after all, he's Pride..." said Charles to Solomon.

"Sigh... you're not fun at all, Charles..." sighed Solomon.

"Anyway... the stage is ready, and the actors are ready to play... what should we do now, master?" Charles looked at the single mirror.

_Just wait for the signs of apocalypse... signs of a new world which will be welcoming us as the new ruler of the world..._

~darkness~

It was evening already. Retrieving back Junpei and Ken had been done by Ryoji and Minato. It was somehow the group's fault to forget about them. Anyway, those two weren't injured, just mentally unstable for the time being because of being exposed to the real appearance of Yomi. Somehow, Souji felt a bit tired than usual, maybe because of the newfound power he got in Yomi.

"Big bro... you look really tired... is something wrong?"

Okay, not that bit. Souji was really, really tired. Some of his wounds couldn't be healed alone by magic, so he applied some plasters on his wounds. Souji and Nanako were watching a TV show in that time.

"I'm alright..." said Souji reassuringly.

Nanako observed Souji's face, which had many plasters on it.

"Are you having a fight?" asked Nanako.

Souji scratched his head. "Well... it's not like that. I'm just... a little careless back then..."

"Ohh... well, be careful next time..." said Nanako before she continued to watch TV. "Ah... Rise-chan wasn't with you guys anymore... is she going to the city?"

Souji gulped. He still could remember the DVD and Rise's 'betrayal'. He silently stood up and looked at Nanako with a kind smile.

"It's late... you should go to bed now..." said Souji.

"...Okay..." replied Nanako sadly before she turned off the television. Then she went into her room. Souji sighed before he ascended upstairs and entered the room.

He slumped himself on his couch before he looked at his palm. He felt different about himself now. He could clearly remember how he killed all those impostors without sympathy on them. He could remember that something within himself had taken over his body.

His real self...

His Shadow...

Maybe that would explain why his eyes turned yellow and his voice turned echoed. Lack of sympathy had been shown by him in that form. Suddenly, he remembered his conversation with Izanagi.

"Hesitation? Does that mean... once I'm becoming a Shadow, I won't hesitate to do something I wish for?"

Unexpectedly, he chuckled.

"What a great power I have..."

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He looked at the number and frowned as he saw Ryoji's. He put the cell on his ear.

"Souji's speaking..."

_Souji... this is Ryoji... if you could, would you go to Tatsuhime Shrine now?_

"Now?" asked Souji. He looked at the clock on the wall and it almost midnight. "Is it important?"

_To be blunt, yes... I hope you could come as quickly as possible. See you there..._

The conversation ended. Souji stared his cell phone before he inserted it into his pocket. He grabbed his coat and put it on him. Then he walked downstairs and took a peek into Nanako's room. The girl was sleeping, much to his relieve. Dojima wasn't home either. Before he could get out from the room, suddenly he heard the sound of motorcycle. He opened the door and saw Yosuke, on his motorcycle. His face seemed serious.

"Ryoji-san asked me to fetch you..." said Yosuke.

"Yosuke? You too?" Souji looked at his partner's face.

"I don't know what this supposes to mean, but from what I know, this is important..." the brunette-haired man spoke solemnly. "Come on, Souji... we should hurry..."

Souji nodded before he sat behind Yosuke. Yosuke clutched the throttle before he speed up, away towards the shopping district.

~darkness~

They arrived in front of Tatsuhime Shrine. They realized that some people gathered there. Souji and Yosuke went into the shrine ground and found Minato and Ryoji. Then he saw other people.

"Seta-san, Hanamura-san, we're expecting both of you to come here... welcome..." greeted Minato.

"Yip!"

Suddenly, a fox with a scarf jumped down from the roof of the shrine and landed in front of Souji.

"Fox?" Souji was petrified by seeing the animal. It had been a while since he last saw her.

"Haha... no wonder she seemed eager to see you, Seta Souji..." another person spoke and Yosuke recognized him.

"Gin-sensei!" exclaimed Yosuke.

"It's been quite a while since we have this kind of gathering, right?" another person spoke. Souji knew him well. The old man with scars across his face puffed out white smoke from his mouth before he looked at Souji.

"Master Daidara?" Souji frowned. What a weird gathering they had tonight.

"Hmm... we have somehow many youngsters here..." a man with policeman's uniform spoke. Minato just smiled before he said. "That's good, isn't it? And it's been a while since you left Tatsumi Port Island..."

"Who are you?" asked Yosuke to the policeman.

"I am Kurosawa Shingo and as you can see, I'm a policeman... so you're Hanamura Yosuke, right? I've heard you from old man Gin..." said the man, Kurosawa to Yosuke as he gestured to Gin.

"At least we should wait for another person..." said Ryoji. Then a car came and stopped in front of the shrine. A middle-aged man, dressed in long coat, with a policeman's hat on his head came out from the car. After that, another man, who had sunglasses on him, came out. Souji knew that person.

"Yakushiji-san?" said Souji. The man with sunglasses is Yakushiji. He's the assistant of Naoto's grandfather, so he concluded that the man beside him as Naoto's grandfather.

"It's been a while, Seta-san..." said Yakushiji to Souji. Then the middle-aged man spoke.

"I've come, Gin-sama..." said the middle-aged man.

"Good to see you, Shirogane..." replied Gin. "It seems all people have come..." he put his umbrella beside him. "It has been 20 years since our last meeting, but the last meeting only consisted of me, Kurosawa, Daidara and Shirogane... it seems we would take Mochizuki, Arisato, Yosuke and Seta as parts of us now..."

"Parts? What does that suppose to mean?" asked Yosuke.

"We are talking about the 'great being' right now... the great being that we had tried to prevent from its awakening... an unending cycle since its birth... which may lead to the end of the life in this world... welcome to the first meeting of Serpent Eaters..." declared Gin.

~darkness~

"Kujikawa-sama, please put on these clothes..." said Sui as she put red kimono on the bed. Rise looked at the turquise-haired girl.

"Tsukuyomi-sama wished to have some talks with you..." the turquiose-haired girl continued. "At the Room of The Moon to be exact..."

Rise nodded weakly. "Thanks, Sui-chan..."

Sui smiled. She felt delighted as Rise called her like that. "Well then, I'll be waiting outside..."

Some minutes later...

Rise, who was dressed in silky red kimono followed Sui behind. They walked at the corridor, towards the Room of The Moon, a private chamber of Tsukuyomi. After that, they finally arrived in front of the room's door.

"I'll be waiting outside... go on..." said Sui.

"Thank you, Sui-chan..." thanked Rise with a smile before she opened the door. She entered the chamber and found Tsukuyomi, sitting on a lone chair in front of a dining round table, in front of a window which has an image of crescent moon. Tsukuyomi realized Rise's presence before he stood up.

"I have been expecting you, Kujikawa Rise... I wish you could ease yourself here..." Tsukuyomi greeted Rise with a kind smile before he asked her to sit, with such a gentleman's manner. Then he sat back on his chair.

"Would you like to have some wine? Or maybe sake? I've preferred a non-alcoholic one..." said Tsukuyomi as he seemed to select the right beverage for them.

"I-I don't need that..." Rise shook her head.

"I see..." Tsukuyomi seemed disappointed.

"I want to know why exactly am I here?" asked Rise.

"Because I summoned you here... that's why..." answered Tsukuyomi nonchalantly.

"But this room is the Room of The Moon. Even Raiga as the leader of your adjutants won't be allowed to enter such this place... but, why me?" Rise looked straight to Tsukuyomi's face. "Why am I allowed to enter this place?"

Tsukuyomi sighed before he stood up and looked at the window, to see the crescent moon. "You know who I am, right?"

Rise nodded.

"To conquer darkness is my grand vision since the pure awakening of me as a Moon Deity... but to stand on the throne alone isn't something that I would wish for... at least someone should stay beside me..." said Tsukuyomi. His voice seemed different as it sounded a little melancholic.

"Your adjutants?" asked Rise.

"That isn't the same... I wish that someone could share the pride with me as I ascended to the throne of darkness... I wish for a companion who could understand me..." Tsukuyomi smiled. Somehow, tears came out from his crimson eyes.

"Tsukuyomi?"

"Rise..." said Tsukuyomi weakly.

"Yes?"

"Would you..." Tsukuyomi looked straight to Rise's eyes.

"What is it?" Rise realized his eyes weren't piercing anymore, but seemed soft and gentle.

"Marry me? Be my wife?"

A beginning of more dramas, or...

A prelude for more destruction?

~darkness~

It feels very good as I managed to finish this chapter. This chapter's title is Serpent Eater, a name of a group which I'll mention in the next chapter. About Tsukuyomi, who was proposing Rise, expect some surprise from it. I'll try my hardest to reply the reviews. Anyway, read and review!!

Albireo Imma


	31. Serpent and Princess

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 31: Serpent and Princess

"And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven head and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads, the names of blasphemy. And they worshipped the dragon which gave the power unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"..."

The man with black hair closed the book before he looked at the single mirror in front of him and the others.

"The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Chapter 13: Verses 1 and 4..." he ended his reciting.

_Good going, Envy... well, somehow I wish to hear you all once again..._

"My pleasure, master... I am Moses, the Envy..."

"I am Charles, the Wrath..."

"Solomon, the Gluttony..."

"I am Vineyard, the Lust..."

"Sake... Sloth..."

"I am Michael... I am the Greed..."

The last one wasn't there.

_Where's Pride?_

Charles just sighed. Takaya was out again.

"Pride is somewhere else... he's causing ruckus again..." said Charles apologetically.

_Let him be, Wrath... as long as he doesn't cross the line, it's fine with us..._

"Certainly, my master..."

~darkness~

"Serpent Eaters? What that supposes to mean?" asked Yosuke impatiently. "And how do you know about that great being anyway?"

Gin chuckled before he spoke. "Because it has something significant to me... and tonight, I'll show you the truth, about who I am..." Gin took off his round glasses. His eyes were shut before he opened it, revealing a pair of shining red eyes.

"What the?!" Yosuke and Souji were surprised. "I mean... what the?! What the hell that supposes to mean?!"

"Look familiar, isn't it?" asked Gin with a smirk. "I'll tell you guys the truth... I am not a human... instead; I am a same being as the one you had fought and Tsukuyomi... I am Susano-O..."

"Susano-O?" Yosuke seemed to not believe it.

"Yes, the god of Tempest... the one who rule upon the rampaging wind of August, Susano-O-no-Okami..." finally Gin revealed himself as a god.

"It never sounds convincing if it comes from an old hag like you, Gin..." commented Ryoji with an amused smile.

"Gin-san or Susano-O, whoever you are since both of them are you, could you please tell us about this 'Serpent Eaters'? And more about that great being?" asked Souji.

"Alright, young one..." Gin put on the glasses back. "Serpent Eaters is a secret organization which was established thousand years ago to prevent the awakening of this great being... in the old days, the members of Serpent Eaters were all around the world, searching for the trace of the awakening and in every awakening, me as the founder and the original member of this organization will come and gather all these people..."

"The last awakening was about 25 years ago, which was successfully halted..." Shirogane continued. "But the war against the 'great being' had taken so many lives of Serpent Eaters and we are the only survivors in that war..."

"I got these scars in the battle against the awakening..." Master Daidara showed the cross-shaped scars on his face. "It's pretty nasty, but by the sacrifice of many others from Serpent Eaters, the peace was successfully restored and the world back in order..."

"But, the peace couldn't be forever restored... the great being would eventually manage to get back its consciousness and begins to gather its follower and plans to make another awakening... by that, we expect more bloodshed..." then Kurosawa spoke. "So, we decided to take four of you as a 'link' between Serpent Eaters and you people since four of you, especially Hanamura and Seta, would play a major role to prevent this awakening..."

"Major role?" Yosuke didn't understand what it actually mean. "W-Wait! What are you talking about?! It doesn't make any sense? Why me... I mean, why should be me?"

"Because it is your role to protect the royal bloodline..." answered Gin.

"Royal bloodline?" Souji frowned.

"Then I'll explain about this 'great being'... it's known as Orochi the Serpent, a living being which is manifested by malice and human's darkness... it feeds upon selected maidens. You know it, right?" Gin looked at Souji.

"Orochi the Serpent? The one that Susano-O... I mean you... had killed?" asked Souji.

"True, true... part of it..." Gin nodded. "But there's a catch. Actually, I never kill that thing because it will always being manifested by malice as long as humanity is still around... so the perfect way to prevent its awakening is to seal it... but it's a clever thing; each time, it will develop its consciousness and begin to plan another awakening... by that, it gathers seven adjutants to fulfill their roles..."

"Alright, I think I understand that..." Yosuke finally understood. "But what about 'feeding upon selected maidens' then?"

"Orochi had already eaten seven maidens, who were having royal blood within their veins... the final one, Princess Kushinada, was spared thanks to me who sealed it..." said Gin. "But there's another catch; Princess Kushinada then married with me and having child, and the royal blood flowed throughout generations..."

"After Princess Kushinada's death, I established Serpent Eaters to prevent any of my bloodline from being taken as final maiden... but thankfully, the royal blood is only passed selectively among the family, and only one maiden would possess the blood in each generation..." said Gin again.

"So, you're saying that we should protect the one who possess the 'royal blood' then?" asked Souji.

"You're pretty quick, Seta... yes, that's the way to be truth..." nodded Gin.

"So, who is she?" asked Yosuke.

"My generations were scattered throughout this Yamato land, but due to the selective trait of 'royal blood', only the perfect one would possess this kind of blood... she's currently living in here, Inaba..."

"She's... in Inaba? Wait, what do you mean, she's in Inaba?" Yosuke seemed shocked.

"She is someone you would know... Kurosawa, show them the document..." Gin ordered the police officer to hand a document to Souji and Yosuke.

Both Yosuke and Souji opened the document and read it. As they opened the last page, both of them were petrified by seeing a passport-sized photo of a female and a family-tree chart which has Princess Kushinada's name on top of it.

"No way..." uttered Yosuke.

"She's... the heiress?" asked Souji.

Gin nodded. "Of course... well, what's her name again? Satonaka Chie?"

~darkness~

"Hachiu!!"

"What's wrong, Chie?" Yukiko looked at Chie, who was sneezing before.

"I'm alright... it just I feel something strange lately..."

Chie was taking a sleepover at Yukiko's inn. They were sleeping in a same room after taking a long hot bath.

"Chie... are you alright? You don't look so good..." said Yukiko, concerned about the brunette-haired woman's condition.

"Yukiko, I've already said I'm alright... let's back to sleep..." said Chie as she slid into the futon.

"Mmmm..." Yukiko just looked at her best friend's face before she slid herself into her futon. After some while, the black-haired woman slept. But not Chie. Her eyes didn't close.

_Eighth..._

Chie's eyes widened as she heard the voice again.

"Shut up..." Chie covered her ears with her hands.

~darkness~

"Chie is the selected maiden?!" exclaimed Yosuke.

"But why? Are you sure it's correct? Are you know if you might have mistaken or something?" asked Souji.

"Making mistake is impossible for professionals like us..." said Kurosawa. "And for your information, the last selected maiden before Satonaka Chie is her mother, Kushinada Yurie..."

"Kushinada? Her mother's maiden name is Kushinada? W-Wait, it's getting complicated here... her mother?" Yosuke almost lost his sanity by knowing the truth behind the revelation.

"Yes... it was 25 years ago in Tokyo... we spotted Kushinada Yurie as the selected maiden and like we have done today to all of you, especially you, Yosuke... we asked one of the Serpent Eater to become her 'knight' or 'guardian'... the man is Satonaka Hiroshi, Satonaka Chie's father..." explained Shirogane.

"Maan... what a complicated conversation we have here..." commented Ryoji with a smirk.

"..." Minato was silent.

"So? What should we do then? Do we suppose to tell Chie about this?" asked Yosuke at last as he regained his composure.

"Let's don't... the truth is, Orochi's adjutants might have aimed her as their target..." said Gin. "So, we as the Serpent Eaters entrusting the task to protect the princess, Satonaka 'Kushinada' Chie to you, Yosuke..." then Gin looked at Souji. "And you too, Seta... because you hold the keys of divine power of gods. Please help Yosuke then..."

"I'll do that. I promise..." Souji nodded.

"Good... then, we as Serpent Eaters would gladly give any form of assistance to you people... but it is wise to not tell anybody about us..." said Gin.

"To not tell anybody?" asked Yosuke.

"Yes... my grandchild Naoto is a part of you people, right?" Shirogane spoke. "Don't let her know that I am a part of Serpent Eaters because once she know about this, she might hate me throughout the eternity..."

"Why should she hate you anyway, Shirogane-san?" asked Souji.

"Because I am..." Shirogane took out a glowing green glass tube from his jacket and swayed it, and a semi-transparent being emerged on top of him. "A devil summoner..."

"Ohh... I understand. I'll try to not let her know then..." said Souji reassuringly.

"Anyway... are you sure Chie's the one? Can you prove it?" asked Yosuke.

"The family chart already proved it... but if you want more information, listen this..." said Gin. "As the one who possess the royal blood, she has some unique traits... due to the presence of royal blood within her body, the systems in her body were kind a bit different from others. You did see right? She never gotten fat even though she ate a lot, am I wrong?"

"T-That's..." Yosuke seemed confused.

"And she also possesses some kind of brute strength, thanks to the presence of royal blood. What kind of girl would kick something away with just a single foot?"

"That's make sense too..." nodded Souji. "And she also has some kind of intelligence which she says it out without even knowing it..."

"That's true, true... that's why it's your task to protect her..." Gin looked at Yosuke. "Yosuke, get a hold onto this..."

Gin handed Yosuke a red locket, which has some ancient writings on it.

"What is this?" asked Yosuke.

"Yasakani-no-Magatama, imperial treasure which would be taken out from its chest in royal palace in every awakening... it's one of Amaterasu's sacred regalia, and I want you to give Satonaka Chie this, discreetly of course..." said Gin.

"Give this... to Chie?" Yosuke looked at the locket on his palm.

"This treasure would create some kind of holy barrier so Orochi and his other adjutants would never get close to her... I wish you good luck, Yosuke..." Gin looked at others. "Let's end it here... dismiss!!"

In a blink of the eyes, Gin and Fox were nowhere to be found. Daidara and Kurosawa walked out from the shrine ground as Yakushiji and Shirogane went to the car and drived away. Ryoji was also nowhere to be found as Minato remained. Yosuke was standing still, seemingly thinking.

"Souji..." Yosuke spoke. "I-I'll protect her... I don't want anyone to get hurt anymore, just like Saki-senpai..."

"Don't worry..." Souji smiled reassuringly. "I'll always beside you... let's protect her..."

"Yeah, you're right..." nodded Yosuke.

"Anyway, see you, Minato-san!!"

Both Yosuke and Souji went out from the shrine ground, leaving Minato alone. The navy-haired man sighed before he began to walk. Suddenly...

"Cough!!"

Minato's eyes widened as he coughed out blood again.

"Dammit!! I won't die with this now... I have something to be attended before I die..."

~darkness~

Meanwhile in Takamagahara...

"Me? Being your wife?" Rise was shocked by Tsukuyomi's demand.

"Of course, be my partner in life... if you want, I may bring along your precious grandmother here and stay with us... once I rule over this world, there will be only both of us on top of the throne..." said Tsukuyomi.

"T-That's not what I mean... but why me? Why are you saying that to me? What's your intention anyway?" asked Rise.

"Because your beauty captured my lonely heart..." Tsukuyomi touched the woman's cheek. "At first, I didn't sure what was this feeling, but in the end, I couldn't lie to myself that I love you..."

"You... love me?"

"Rise... please..." pleaded Tsukuyomi.

Rise closed her eyes and pushed Tsukuyomi's hand.

"I-I need some times..." said Rise.

"I see... then, tell me if the time has come..." said Tsukuyomi. "You're free to go..."

Rise just nodded weakly before she walked towards the door and went out from the chamber. Sui was still waiting outside.

"Kujikawa-sama, has the matter been solved?" asked Sui.

"S-Sort of... Sui-chan, please bring me back to my room..." demanded Rise.

"I see... follow me..."

Meanwhile, back to the chamber...

Tsukuyomi was still sitting on his chair, staring on the crescent moon beyond the window.

"Raiga, you're free now..." said Tsukuyomi. Then a white-haired man with white suit came out from somewhere.

"Tsukuyomi-sama, are you sure that's what you mean?" asked Raiga.

Tsukuyomi looked at his adjutant's face. "I mean what I mean, Raiga... I want to make her my empress and it's final..."

"I see... but are you sure? If you're doing something like that, more things will come out..." said Raiga.

Tsukuyomi chuckled. "Raiga... different actions lead to different consequences... my doing something, I might be able to catalyze a new form of consequence which may add some plots to this so-called 'drama'... I wonder about those people's reaction if they know that I would marry Kujikawa Rise..."

"A sly attempt I guess... at least we're still on the line..." said Raiga. "Anyway, those people finally show up..."

"I know... Serpent Eaters, isn't it? Fufufufufufu... I'm waiting for the twist of event then..."

"Tsukuyomi-sama, you're good being a spectator I guess... leaving the task of eliminating Orochi for them is like 'killing two birds with one stone'..." commented Raiga.

"Is that a compliment?" asked Tsukuyomi.

"Sort of, Tsukuyomi-sama..." nodded Raiga.

"Anyway, the curtain will be raised, and a new chapter of their life begins..."

~darkness~

In the Velvet Room, two books in front of Igor were glowing as different phrases were written by themselves on the cover of the books.

_Memento Mori_

_ Vi Veri Universum Vivus Vici_

"It finally started..." said Igor with a smirk.

~darkness~

Hahahahahaha!! Finally I managed to complete chapter 31!! There are so many new phrases in this chapter but I think I'll explain it in the next chapter. Thanks for those who reviewed this fic, and don't forget to read and review!

Albireo Imma


	32. Moe Moe Kyun! Cosplay Cafe

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 32: Moe Moe Kyun! Cosplay Cafe

A certain redheaded woman, dressed in white frilly gothic lolita dress, sat in front of her laptop with her glasses on. It was already evening, so her Cosplay Cafe was already closed. She was checking her mail in internet as well as searching for any update of cosplaying around the world.

Cosplay Cafe, a coffee house which was established some years ago, after her marriage with a famous baseballer who was nicknamed as 'The God of Koshien' or something like that, Iori Junpei. The woman, Iori Chidori managed the fancy coffee house by herself since she loves cosplaying if we ask her.

As she continued in her searching, her cell phone rang.. Without looking at the device, she picked the phone.

"Chidori's speaking... ah, Mai-chan, perfect timing..."

Then she became silent.

"..."

But it was not for long.

"W-What?! W-Wait! Are you sure? Tomorrow's the day! What?! Maki-chan and Kugi-chan too?!"

From her face, it could be concluded that she was terribly shocked by what she had heard.

"Please don't! Then... then I'll pay you big!! What?! Nooo!!"

The caller hung up. Chidori looked at her phone with disappointment.

"Moe Moe Cafe dream... now ruined..." squeaked the woman sadly. Then a man came into the cafe.

"I'm back... eh, what's with that long face, Chidori?" the man, Junpei asked his wife.

Chidori looked at her husband with her teary eyes, much to Junpei's shock, before the woman rushed towards the man and hugged him. Then she silently cried as she put her face on the man's chest.

"Chidori?" Junpei seemed rattled.

"Moe Moe Cafe dream... is gone..." squeaked the woman again.

Junpei stroked the woman's long red hair as he whispered to her ear. "There, there... I'll listen to you. Tell me what's going on?" Junpei asked his wife.

"We're... we're short of workers..." answered Chidori. "And tomorrow's the day..."

"What day?" asked Junpei before he saw a signboard which would be put out of the cafe for the next day. "Oh, I get it... Moe Moe Cafe... if you're short of workers, why don't you just make it for another day?"

"Junpei... can you please help me then?" asked Chidori.

"Help?"

~darkness~

All Persona-users from SEES and Investigation Squad went to Tatsumi Port Island since it was summer already. It was good for Ken who finally got a perfect summer vacation. Then, all members of Investigation Squad would be living at Kirijo's mansion for the time of their staying in the artificial island. And since Souji felt a bit unfair if only they could go there, he brought Nanako along.

"It's feeling good if we're out of Inaba once in a while..." said Yukiko, sipping a cup of coffee. All of them paid a visit at Chagall Cafe which was situated at Paulownia Mall.

"You're right, Yukiko..." nodded Chie. "But... the coffee here tastes a little fancy..."

"Ahh... maybe this is the well-rumored Pheromone Coffee..." said Kanji, staring at his cup of coffee.

"Pheromone Coffee? Did they put pheromone inside the coffee?" asked Teddie cluelessly.

"They didn't, idiot!!" exclaimed Yosuke, half-shouted to the blonde-haired boy.

Naoto stared on her cup of coffee. "I've seen its recipe in internet... Pheromone Coffee is a well-mixed brewed coffee which is an original product of Kirijo Corporation... apart of having low level of caffeine; it's good for health since its antioxidant level is higher than any ordinary-brewed coffee..."

"That's Naoto-kun for you..." commented Chie. "But, original product? How big this Kirijo Corporation exactly?" she looked at the scarlet-haired woman, who was the current headwoman of the mentioned corporation.

Mitsuru sipped her coffee before she put its cup on the table and letting out a sagely sigh. "Pheromone Coffee is my father's idea since my late mother loved coffee very much..."

"Err... we're sorry to hear that, Mitsuru-san..." said Yukiko apologetically.

"It's okay..." said Mitsuru with a reassuring smile. "It just... some parts of me couldn't forgive what my family had done for many people before... and my parents, and even myself, were the some of the victims themselves... so, by drinking this kind of coffee makes me remember them..."

"Mitsuru-san..." Yukiko's eyes were focused on the red-haired woman.

"Anyway, let's leave it behind. Hmm... I wonder where Amada and Iori went to..." Mitsuru changed the topic since the atmosphere had changed because of the coffee.

"I bet they're still inside their room, having a worst nightmare about being left behind..." said Ryoji with an evil smirk.

"Ryoji-kun! That isn't funny at all!! That was us to be blamed because we're leaving them behind!!" said Yukari angrily to the black-haired man.

"Yukari-chan..." Fuuka tried to calm the brunette-haired down.

"..." Minato, as usual, was being a silent observer.

"Sigh... I hope we won't make any further ruckus again..." sighed the white-haired police officer, Akihiko.

"But this is better... it's been a while since we have this kind of merry gathering... too bad we don't have Rise-san with us..." said Aigis.

"Yeah... too bad..." nodded Naoto weakly. It seemed she still felt guilty for what had happened those days.

"Where's Rise-chan?" asked Nanako.

Souji wasn't sure what should he answer that question, which came from the mouth of 12 year old girl. Finally, he sighed as he patted the girl's head and spoke. "She got some works... that's why she's not with us..."

"I see... too bad she's not with us..." said Nanako again.

Then, a brunette boy with a blonde girl entered the cafe. The boy, Amada Ken saw some of his friends before he went towards their direction.

"Hi!" Ken spoke to the group.

"Ken-kun, nice meeting you here!!" Yukari greeted the boy before she looked at the girl beside him. "And... is this your girlfriend?"

Ken smiled sheepishly before he nodded. The girl beside him blushed.

"She's Mitsukuni Aya, my girlfriend..." Ken introduced the girl to the group.

"Nice to meet you..." the girl, Aya bowed politely to the group after being introduced by Ken.

"Same here..." said Souji with a smile.

"Man, you're a lucky guy, Ken..." commented Yosuke. "She's so cute- oww!!"

"Say that again or it would be the worst than this..." said Chie threateningly as she pinched the man's thigh.

"Chie!! Don't do this to me, okay!!" shouted Yosuke.

"Let them be, Mitsukuni-san..." said Minato. "Anyway, have a seat..."

"Thank you..." the pair nodded before they took their seats.

The group, including Nanako and Aya enjoyed some precious time. They exchanged their stories and updates to each others as they knew; they wouldn't have any chance to cherish the moment after this.

"Hmm... I wonder why Junpei-kun doesn't show up yet..." mused Fuuka.

Some moments later, the mentioned man entered the cafe with a glum face.

"Hi..." said the man, Junpei, with an unusual solemn expression.

"Junpei-kun, what's wrong with you?" asked Fuuka.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" asked Yukiko.

Junpei sighed. "It's about Chidori..."

"Are you two having a fight or something?" asked Yosuke.

"Fight?" Kanji looked at Junpei.

"Mr. Junpei having a fight with his wife?" Nanako seemed curious as she looked at the mentioned man.

"Oh no... This is serious..." said Chie.

Junpei sighed again before he took a seat. "We don't have any fight or something like that... it just, you know... about our cafe... we're having a special event tomorrow..."

"Special event?" asked Fuuka. "Do you mean Moe Moe Cafe?"

"Moe Moe Cafe?" Minato wasn't accostumised by the term.

"A special event which Cosplay Cafe will make something extra by making its workers dressed in maid costume... even there's a mini Cosplay competition and many other small events..." explained Yukari.

"Maids?" Teddie was attracted by the term.

"Did you say 'maids'?" asked Yosuke.

"Ahh... the one who would say 'moe moe kyun', right?" said Kanji.

All eyes were at Kanji as they shared a same thought.

"What's up with those eyes, guys?" said Kanji, taken aback as the others looked him like that.

_How the hell you know something ridiculous like that?!_

"But what's the problem with that, Junpei-san?" asked Souji.

"The problem is..." Junpei sighed again. "We're short of workers... some of the workers have something to do tomorrow and yet Chidori needs them... so she asked me for replacements..."

"Replacements?" asked Naoto.

Suddenly, a bright idea came into Yosuke's mind.

"Hey, how about if these girls become the maids?" asked Yosuke.

"What?! To hell with that!!" exclaimed Chie furiously.

"We... become maids?" Naoto couldn't believe what she had heard just now.

"Hey, that's too much!!" protested Yukari.

"But, the event is tomorrow, and Chidori expected me to get the replacement!! Please... I'm pleading to you people!!"

"Well... that's..." Fuuka seemed hesitated.

"Please... and that Chidori is pregnant now, please... just do this for Chidori's sake..." pleaded Junpei.

"Are you sure it's going to work?" asked Yukiko.

"It seems we don't have any choice then..." sighed Aigis.

"Alright, we'll help you..." nodded Mitsuru before she looked at Aya and Nanako. "And if you two could, why don't you two help as well?"

"Help?" Aya seemed surprised before she looked at Ken for approval.

"I'll do it!!" agreed Nanako with full of spirit.

"So... it has been decided, right?" Yosuke smirked. "To Moe Moe Kingdom then!!"

~darkness~

In the next day, in Cosplay Cafe...

"Are you sure this gonna work?" asked Chie hesitantly. She's currently dressed in western-styled maid costume. Her face was red as she clutched her apron. Then Yukiko, who was dressed in the same type of maid costume, with only the longer sleeves, came to her.

"It can't be helped after all... we've promised to help Chidori-san..." said Yukiko to Chie.

"But still..." Chie seemed embarrassed.

"They suit you both..." commented Yosuke with a grin. He's dressed in black butler suit.

"Yosuke!! Stop staring us like that!!" yelled the brunette-haired woman to Yosuke.

Minato, who was dressed in butler suit just bowed apologetically to some customers. "We're sorry for the noise then..."

Then on a stage, there was Chidori, now dressed in sleeveless maid costume, holding a microphone before she spoke to the customers. "Welcome to Moe Moe Cafe Paradise!! Please expect the best from us!! Moe Moe Kyun!!"

The catchphrase received applauses from the audiences. Kanji, who was dressed in gray-colored butler suit just stared the woman with amazement.

"Whoa... she's seriously into this..." commented Kanji.

"That's Chidori for sure..." nodded Junpei, dusting his black butler suit.

"Junpei-san, Kanji-san..." then Ken, who was dressed in purple butler suit, came to the two men. "Does this look weird?" he asked those two men.

"Nothing at all... you're great in that..." then Souji came with black butler suit before he commented on Ken's suit.

"Thanks, Souji-san..." Ken smiled to the silverette.

Meanwhile, in another part of the cafe...

"Yukari-san, please don't do this to me..." Naoto's voice could be heard behind the curtain as a brunette woman, dressed in sleeveless maid costume, trying to pull the owner of the voice out from the curtain.

"Naoto-kun, you look good in it... it might be wasteful if you're hiding behind the curtain for the whole day..." said Yukari as she continued to pull the woman out. Finally, the blue-haired woman managed to be pulled out, revealing a slender woman, dressed in unorthodox-typed maid costume, which had no sleeve, revealing her slender arms.

"Is that... Naoto?" muttered Kanji.

"She's... cute..." commented Junpei.

Then, Chidori smiled evilly before she announced. "Ohh, look at that!! A simple, yet majestic display of maid costume, by Shirogane Naoto!! Naoto-chan, please go up to the stage!!"

After being pushed by Yukari, Naoto timidly walked onto the stage before Chidori handed her the microphone.

"Do it naturally and don't forget to say that words, okay?" whispered Chidori to Naoto before she left her alone on the stage. The spotlights were focused on her as her face reddened.

"I-I..." Naoto seemed nervous. "Well... welcome to Cosplay Cafe, the realm of Moe Moe Paradise. I, Shirogane Naoto will drive you all to the end of blissful realm of this paradise. Moe Moe Kyun!"

"Woo hoo!!"

"What a show!!"

"Encore! Encore!"

The spectators applauded on Naoto. The blue-haired woman bowed before leaving the stage.

"Wow!! Now that's a show!!" commented Junpei. "Right, Kanji?" he nudged his elbow on the man beside him. "Kanji? Kanji?"

Then Kanji fell on the floor with bleeding nose.

"Kanji! Kanji!!"

"Kanji-san's fainted!!"

Then, Fuuka who was dressed in maid costume which was reminisced from nurse attire, brought a cup of coffee to a customer.

"Please enjoy our service here, in Moe Moe Cafe..." bowed Fuuka politely.

Mitsuru, dressed in frilly maid costume came to another table to take orders.

"What would you like to have, sir?" asked Mitsuru with such a dazzling smile.

"She's beautiful..." one of the customers whispered.

"Totally..." nodded another one.

"Gosh... they're making it well..." commented Yosuke.

"Sigh... what a drag..." sighed a white-haired man, dressed in blue butler suit, as he ruffled his hair. "I wish for a quiet place then..."

"Somehow, where's Teddie?"

"We wonder about that too..." replied Chie, after taking the order before went to the counter.

"Now then, let's proceed on the next performance, by Teddie-chan!!"

"Oh my... I feel something bad will come next..." said Yosuke and it was. A long-haired blonde, dressed in usual western-styled maid costume, came on the stage and took the microphone from Chidori.

"Welcome, welcome to the Moe Moe Kyun Cafe!! I am Teddie, an angel from heaven who will treat your hearts in this blissful paradise with Moe Moe Dance!!" announced Teddie.

"Oh my god... I'll pretend that I've never seen it..." said Yosuke.

Then, Teddie danced on the stage with the cheeky music. Her movement was totally awesome in which that people might think that Teddie was a female.

"He's good too, right?" commented Yukiko.

"I admit it..." nodded Chie.

Then, two people joined into the performance when the beats of music became fast. They were Nanako and Aya. Both of them dressed in sleeveless unorthodox maid costumes.

"What the?!" exclaimed Ken in shock as he saw his girlfriend on stage.

"Dojima-san might gonna cry if he saw Nanako like this..." commented Souji.

"Souji-san..."

Souji looked back and saw Aigis, dressed in orthodox maid costume with long sleeves.

"Aigis-san?"

"Could you please help me to tie this ribbon on my hair?" asked Aigis to her junior.

Souji smiled before he took the ribbon from Aigis' hand. "Okay... turn back..."

Aigis turned back as Souji tied the ribbon on the gynoid's hair.

"Souji-san, are you enjoying yourself?" asked Aigis.

Souji was mildly surprised by his senior's question. "Of course I am..."

"That's good to hear... we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest before the battle... let's hope for the best then..." Aigis smiled.

"It's done!" finally Souji managed to tie the ribbon on Aigis' hair. "Somehow, you're cute in that costume, Aigis-san..."

"Thank you..." nodded Aigis.

Meanwhile, in the washroom...

"You don't have much time left, do you?" asked Ryoji who was dressed in white butler suit.

"S-Shut up..." Minato wiped his mouth after washing his face. He had coughed blood again, signifying that his live has shortened again.

"It was disappointing, you know... to know how and when we will die... somehow I have a feeling that you'll die before you can even decide who you should love..." said Ryoji again.

"It has nothing to do with you, Ryoji..." said Minato coldly.

"Well then, I afraid you shouldn't overwork yourself... see you then..." Ryoji walked out from the washroom as Minato stared on his own reflection on the mirror.

"I know I'll be the one who lose, but the way I lose it..."

He sighed.

"Is completely saddening..."

~darkness~

Phew, another chapter updated. This chapter somehow is lighter than before because it's a fluff. It would be a preparation before the real battle. Please be entertained by this chapter and please expect the fluff for the next chapter too. And if you want to imagine about Moe Moe Dance, please remember the way Suzumiya Haruhi dances. Anyway, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	33. Farewell Kisses

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 33: Farewell Kisses

"Finally... home sweet home..." sighed Souji as he and Nanako finally returned to the house. Dojima was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading newspaper. The man realized that his daughter and his nephew had returned, so he put the newspaper aside and stood up.

"Welcome back..." greeted Dojima with a smile.

"We're back!!" said Nanako happily. "Here, we brought you a souvenir!!"

"Ah, really?" said Dojima, mildly surprised. Then he chuckled before he petted the girl's head tenderly. "Thank you, Nanako..."

Nanako handed her father a shopping bag. Dojima took it and looked into it. He took out a black-colored mug which had written 'Dad' on it.

"It takes some while to find it..." said Souji.

"Souji... thanks for watching Nanako over there... but I'm not sure how to express my thanks to you..." said Dojima as he scratched his head.

"No worries..." said Souji with a gentle smile.

"Then, you should go to bed early... the trip was pretty tiring, isn't it? Take a good bath and then hit the bed..." Dojima looked to the direction of the bathroom. "Let me prepare a bath for you..."

"Thank you, Uncle Dojima..." Souji nodded.

"Haha, don't be so formal with me... after all, we're family, right?" Dojima laughed heartily.

"Yeah, we're family!! And you're my big bro!!" supported Nanako.

"Yeah... we're family... there's no doubt about it..." nodded the silverette.

~darkness~

Yosuke looked at the locket in his hand. He had no chance to give the locket to Chie back at Tatsumi Port Island because they have no time. He sighed before he slumped himself on his bed before he reached his cell phone.

"Chie... is the princess?" the brunette man muttered. Then he chuckled.

"But why it supposed to be her?" he said with an amused smile before the smile dead. Then he lowered his cell phone before releasing another sigh.

"And why it supposed to be me? Me, a guardian? Hehe, that was a joke..."

He looked again on the locket before he screamed.

"Gaaaaah!!" he threw the locket towards the wall. Then he stood up and punched the wall beside him.

"Even... even I am a joke itself... how suppose someone useless like me can be a 'knight'? A 'guardian'? Why it doesn't have to be him?"

Then, he kneeled.

"I am useless... but why? Why someone who is 'useless', is being entrusted to do something like this?"

_Stupid..._

"Yeah, that's right... I'm stupid to think of it... I'm not that smart to do something like 'protecting' the most important thing in this world... I'm not that good; I'm not a so-called guardian..."

Tears came out from his eyes.

"I'm just... Yosuke... another pathetic Yosuke..."

Outside of Yosuke's room or house, Gin was standing beside the window. He smiled before he sighed softly to himself.

"Just hang in there, Yosuke... feeling pathetic to yourself is common for a knight like you... every previous guardian was the same too..."

Then he took off his round glasses, revealing his shiny red eyes.

"And the same goes for me too... while I had to protect Princess Kushinada..." he muttered softly.

~darkness~

The navy-haired man took a shower after a long trip from Tatsumi Port Island. He let himself being washed by the water as his bluish silver eyes were staring on the white wall.

"Does someone selfish like me..." Minato muttered. "Deserve a love?"

"Hmm... depends on how you express your selfishness, I guess..." a voice could be heard from outside, which was owned by nobody but Ryoji.

"Tch, I wonder how you can take the good part, Ryoji..." Minato looked at the door. "Anyway, how long this sloppy 'body' can withstand?"

"Hmm... if we calculated it carefully, your lifespan might be longer than half a year if you use your power in moderation... if you use your fusion spell or any high-leveled skill, it might consume a couple of weeks of your lifespan... keep that in your mind..." said Ryoji.

"I see... so, I should make a well-prepared farewell for those two..." Minato turned off the water.

"Farewell to Aigis and Yukari? Well, you will just put salt on the wounds if you make something like that..." Ryoji smirked.

"That's why I've been saying..." Minato opened the door. "I'm a selfish man who can't even think of others than myself..."

Ryoji chuckled. "So, you've convicted then... alright, I want to see what will happen..." he continued.

"First of all... I should do this..." Minato took out his cell phone.

~darkness~

Okina City...

Both Minato and Aigis were going to the nearest city to Inaba. Both of them had a good travel around the city. Aigis bought a new computer software, much to Minato's amusement.

"Aigis, at least you should try to buy something appealing, like clothes or stuff..." said Minato.

"Clothes?" Aigis looked at the bluenette's face. "I've plenty of them..."

Minato laughed. "Haha, I bet that you're not the one who bought them, right?"

Aigis smiled timidly as she nodded. "Yeah, Yukari's the one who bought them... I'm suck when it comes about this stuff and I'm always asking for her help if it comes about buying clothes... that's pretty shame on me though... wanting to be a human being, yet unable to do such a simple thing like that..."

Minato patted the gynoid's head. "You're cute if you're like that, Aigis..."

"Minato-san!!" protested Aigis, seemingly embarrassed. Much to Minato's surprise, he could see some kind of red shade on the android's face.

"You're... blushing..." commented Minato. "B-But, how come?"

"A-Am I?" asked Aigis. "Sheesh!! That Mitsuru-san, I've asked her to not put such a thing into me, but she seems to enjoy it..."

"Mitsuru put something on you?" asked Minato. Aigis nodded.

"She put a blood-like mechanism on me and it functions like a real blood, like accelerated flow of it if my rotation system goes faster, which resulting myself to blush... sigh, what a pain..." sighed Aigis.

"You sighed a lot nowadays, Aigis..." commented Minato.

"Am I?" asked Aigis, seemingly clueless.

Then, Minato seemed to be thinking before he spoke. "Aigis, are you afraid with this upcoming battle?"

"Huh?" Aigis looked at Minato with a frown before she answered it. "If you put it that way, maybe a little... but as long as I'm beside you, maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't fear that much..."

Minato smiled slightly. At first, he decided to tell her about his unavoidable death, but seeing her like that made it hard for him to tell her such a gruesome revelation.

"Could you stay... beside me? And with Seta Souji too?" asked Minato.

"What?" Aigis seemed confused.

"In this battle, both of us are appointed leaders... so, it is your job to assist both of us..." Minato put his hands on her shoulders. "Believe him, he's stronger than me..."

Aigis smiled as she nodded. "Leave it to me, Minato-san..."

"Good... I'm counting on you then... anyway, let's go for the next shop, shall we?"

Before Minato could walk forward, Aigis' hand grabbed his.

"Minato-san, won't you mind if I call you with suffix '-kun'?" asked Aigis timidly.

Minato was petrified for some seconds before he smiled. "Go on, Aigis..."

"Thanks..." Aigis gave the bluenette a dazzling smile, a smile which Minato loves to see all these times. "Minato-kun..."

Her voice was rather different, seemingly melancholic, but at the same time, sounds fulfilling, and refreshing. The voice slightly twitched Minato's mind before he stepped forward, in front of Aigis.

"Thank you... for protecting me..." he said. He kissed the gynoid's forehead gently before he stroked her blonde hair. Aigis' eyes widened as the man's lips touched her forehead.

"Let's go, Aigis..." Minato stepped behind before grabbing Aigis' hand. Before they could walk away, Aigis pulled his hand, embracing him tightly and forcefully pulled his head to her, before pressing her lips onto his.

"And that's... a thanks from me..." said Aigis after releasing her embrace.

Minato was agitated before he smiled. "Let's go..."

"Mmm!!" nodded Aigis.

~darkness~

"Phew... I'm beat..." said Minato as he returned to his rented house. Aigis seemed to go to Mitsuru's rented house, which was located separatedly from their houses. He placed his hand on the knob, only to find that the door was locked. He sighed before he searched for the key in his pocket.

"Sigh... where's that idiot Ryoji went to?" he took out the key. Before he could unlock the door, Yukari came out from the room next door. She seemingly to be mildly surprised by seeing Minato.

"Hi, Minato-kun? What's up?" greeted Yukari.

"Nothing..." replied Minato plainly. "Anyway, what about you?" he asked.

"Nothing in particular... since I've gotten a break for two months, I decided to stay here... and we have that battle too, right?" answered the brunette woman.

"You're right..." nodded Minato. "Alright, see you tomorrow then..."

"Minato-kun..."

Yukari's hand was gripping Minato's, halting him from entering the room. Minato frowned.

"Sorry if I'm being rude... but could you... stay a little longer with me?" asked Yukari.

Minato smiled kindly before he nodded. "My pleasure, Yukari..."

Then, both of them chatted to each other about many things, like Yukari's achievement in archery, what was happening all the past years and many sort of things. Then, Yukari looked at the bluenette gently before she asked. "Are you planning to die again, Minato-kun?"

Minato was agitated by the brunette woman's question. He answered heavily "It depends on the situation..."

Yukari sighed. "Do you still remember what I had said to you earlier?" she asked.

Minato nodded. "About you wanting to die along with me, right?"

"To be truth, I'm afraid of dying too... but you're not. You've faced death before, but you didn't even lose yourself... I envied you because of that, but in a same time, I'm slightly disappointed by you..."

"Disappointed?" asked Minato.

"For choosing death over life... is living just a trivial matter for you? All your fights, your struggles, which might bring death to you, never bothered you much? What are you actually fighting for?" asked Yukari sternly.

Minato lowered his gaze, avoiding the brown piercing pupils. "I-I don't know... I fight because I can..."

"You can?" Yukari frowned. "Then, you never fear death, aren't you?"

Minato didn't answer it.

"I already knew it... your body's deteriorating because this is not your real body... you'll die eventually, am I wrong?"

Minato's eyes widened, couldn't believe that Yukari had already known the truth. Although it wasn't expressed on his face, he was terribly shocked by that.

"How did you know?" asked Minato with such a solemn tone.

"I urged Ryoji to tell me..." answered Yukari plainly.

Minato groaned as he ruffled his navy hair. He never thought Ryoji would do such a thing, doing something behind his back.

"Did he tell you on purpose?" asked Minato again.

Yukari shook her head. "I already told you I urged him... since I knew something odd happened all these days... you coughed blood and that pale face prove that..." she answered.

Minato sighed. It couldn't be helped it seemed. "So, what would you do? Commit suicide after my death?"

"There's no point of doing that!!" answered Yukari, half-shouted. "That's the thing I hate about you!! You see this thing as a trivial one!! You never scared of anything! You're... you're... not having what a normal human being should have..." somehow, tears gathered on Yukari's eyes.

"Yukari?" now the navy-haired man seemed worry.

"You helped me so much at that time, and I wish I could help you too..." she tried to not cry by wiping her tears. "I thought by staying beside you will make me know what I should do to help you... but, but... you're too perfect to have problems... and it disturbs me..." then she eventually cried.

"I care about you so much, yet I can't do anything for you... even Aigis is one step forward than me... heh, how useless I am for you..." she spoke with her squeaky voice.

"T-That's wrong..."

Yukari's eyes widened as the navy-haired man hugged her.

"Minato-kun?" Yukari tried to regain her composure while she was embraced by the man.

"I'm sorry... I'm just a selfish man to begin with, selfish man who never see anything rather than myself..." said Minato with soft voice. "But about me being perfect; that's wrong... if I'm perfect, I'll not die that easy and if you're saying about me having no problem, I already have one, having you crying beside me..."

"Minato-kun..." Yukari tried to smile as she wiped her tears.

"With the life I have with me, I'll try to protect all of you... and that might probably my reason to fight; to protect..." continued Minato.

"Baka, I should know that too..." said Yukari, smiling contently in the man's embrace. "Then, since I know that you'll eventually die, you should listen to me!"

"Listen? What do yo- mpph!!" before the navy-haired man could finish his sentence, Yukari pulled Minato's collar, bringing his face closer to her. In such a short distance, Yukari pressed her warm lips on Minato's. After some moments, Yukari pulled back and gave the man a fulfilled smile.

"You should know that I love you!! And there's no point of rejecting it since a soon-will-die man don't have any right to reject!! You hear that?!" exclaimed Yukari.

"H-hear you..." answered Minato with a stupefied look.

"Good!! Then, I'll try my best so you won't need to die again!! Good night!!"

As for that, Yukari returned back into her room. After several minutes being petrified on the corridor, Minato weakly opened the door of his rented house. He leaned on the door as he entered before he slid on it. He delicately touched his lips, which had robbed lips of two women, two significant women who had something in his return in the world. Although Aigis' lips were slightly cold and a bit hard, compared to Yukari's which were warm and soft, both of them contained the same feeling, same affection, that both of them love him.

Minato gritted his teeth as he felt a pain on his chest. Trail of blood flowed from his mouth and trails of tears unexpectantly followed from his eyes.

"What have I done?"

~darkness~

The black-haired man with yellow scarf read some documents from the shelves with full attention. Then, he realized someone's presence.

"It's quite fancy to see you here, Aigis..." Ryoji closed the document as he spoke to the person who came, Aigis. He put the document on the nearby table before he faced the gynoid, who had a stern expression on her face.

"I'm expecting you to be here, Ryoji... although this place is new, Mitsuru-san placed most of the documents about Shadows here... but that's not what I'm talking about..." said Aigis with unusual serious tone.

"So, what is it?" asked Ryoji.

"Tell me the truth..." unexpectedly, Aigis activated her firearms on her hands and pointed them to Ryoji threateningly. "Tell me the truth about Minato!!"

Ryoji looked at the gynoid as she pointed her weapons on him. "Hmm... what a rude way to ask something it seems... but it looks like you've known it already... but you shouldn't aim those things to me since they won't harm me much..."

"I won't accept other things as answer!! Spill it!!" ordered Aigis. A clicking sound could be heard from her hands.

"Alright, you win..." Ryoji sighed defeatedly. "Arisato Minato will eventually die due to his body... is that even clear for you?"

"I knew it..." Aigis lowered her weapons. "I thought I was wrong... but it really..."

Aigis deactivated her weapons as she looked down helplessly.

"Can you do anything about this?" asked Aigis.

"Nope. I have no authority to halt someone's death... since the death itself is inevitable..." replied Ryoji.

"I see..." said Aigis weakly. "Then, can I ask something from you?"

Ryoji frowned. "What is it?"

"Could you... make a pact with me? Give me the power of Death just like him?"

~darkness~

Yes!! Finally, the final chapter for this arc has been done!! It is heavier than I thought but never mind that... the next chapter will be the beginning of the new arc, Serpent Tail's arc. Then, as usual, I would be glad if someone review this chapter and give their opinion about this chapter. Thanks a lot!!

Albireo Imma


	34. Snakes Unveiled

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 34: Snakes Unveiled

"Making a Death pact with you?" asked Ryoji with a frown. "Are you really sure?"

"I am..." nodded Aigis firmly.

The raven-haired man sighed before he spoke. "The power of Death, the power of conquering the very essence of Death... as far as concerned, the only mortal who truly possesses the power of Death is Arisato Minato, meanwhile Seta Souji only possesses an exact copy of Death from his Wild Card... but every great power, comes a great sacrifice..." then he cleared his throat.

"With the power of conquering Death, one may lose freedom, sanity, feeling or the worst, life... it's an uncommon miracle for Minato to preserve his sanity with such a huge force of Death within him for many years, but he couldn't prevent his life from being taken by his very own power..." continued Ryoji.

"I-I won't mind if I die. My life won't be the same without him!! You won't understand because you're the one who gave him that power, aren't you?!" said Aigis emotionally. "To you, Minato is nothing than just a piece of human being who you could discard anytime you like, isn't it?!"

Ryoji just stared at the gynoid without interrupting her burst-out.

"You see everything as a game, and you decide to stay back like a common spectator!! You find everything amusing to you!! You're... you're just-."

"A mere fiend, right?"

Aigis' eyes widened as Ryoji cut her sentence.

"You're right, I'm never serious in this matter... and I prefer to stay aside just like an audience..." said Ryoji with a somehow sorrow smile.

"I-I don't mean to..." Aigis was taken aback by Ryoji's unexpected reply. "I-I mean, I'm sorry..."

Ryoji closed her eyes. "That's okay... but since you ask for the power, I'll try for it..." Ryoji walked towards Aigis and stood in front of her.

"Ryoji..." Aigis looked at the man's face.

"Close your eyes..." said the man.

Aigis followed the man's instruction by closing her eyes. Ryoji placed his knuckle on the gynoid's head. Then he leaned in and whispered to her.

"Before I begin, I'll ask you; won't you regret it?" Ryoji asked the blonde gynoid with a whispery voice.

"I won't..." answered Aigis.

"Even if it costs your own precious life?" added Ryoji.

"I-I won't mind!" replied Aigis.

Ryoji smiled before he slightly raised his knuckle from Aigis' head.

"Then, you're such an idiot, Aigis..."

As for that, Ryoji softly knocked Aigis' head with his knuckle, causing the gynoid to immediately open her eyes. The knock wasn't hard, but it was enough to make Aigis startled and almost tripped onto the floor.

"W-What are you doing, Ryoji?!" asked Aigis in surprise.

Ryoji smirked. "Aren't you listening to me? I'm saying you're an idiot, Aigis... where did those resolves go? Is the resolve to have a life as a precious human being had gone away? The resolve to continue your life just like others too? Aren't you happy all these years?" the man asked the gynoid.

"I..." Aigis was taken aback.

"You're happy after your graduation at Gekkoukan, right? And when you received an offer to continue your study in London, what did you feel?" asked Ryoji again.

"I-I feel... happy..." answered Aigis uncertainly.

"And what do you feel by befriending Yukari?"

"I-I..."

Image of a certain brunette woman in pink attire appeared within Aigis' mind. The woman, Yukari smiled as she offered Aigis her hand.

"And how about Souji? Aren't you happy when you became his friend?"

Another image, which took a form of a silver-haired man, smiled serenely as he looked at the gynoid with his kind eyes.

"I'm happy..." answered Aigis weakly. "I'm happy knowing them..." tears came out from her eyes.

"The same goes for me too... I wish for your happiness too..." said Ryoji as he wiped the tears.

"Why? Why do wish for my happiness?" asked Aigis.

"Because I'm also your friend..." answered Ryoji with a grin. "No matter how hostile you could be near me, I wish... I could always be your friend..." somehow, his expression seemed melancholic, same like his blue-haired counterpart. "But, don't ask something like this anymore... your soul is too pure to have this power..."

"Ryoji..." Aigis looked at Ryoji's face. "I'm sorry... but, what should I do then?"

Ryoji smirked before he leaned in, whispering to Aigis.

"Just stay by his side until the very end, Aigis... he needs you more than you could imagine..."

As Ryoji said that, he walked away, leaving Aigis behind, alone in the room.

"More than... I could imagine?"

~darkness~

It's Saturday, but Souji woke up earlier than usual. Last night, he had called one of his friends at London to have a recent update about what's going on there. It was still the same at London, much to his relief. Souji didn't want to know how Teddie and Ryoji managed to make both Souji and Aigis having a very long break since once he knew it, it might be impossible for him to not know it anymore.

The silverette could hear the sound of policemen's siren. Before he could do anything like opening his window, Nanako knocked his door from outside of his room.

"Big bro!! Big bro Minato's coming!!" said Nanako from outside.

Souji walked towards the door and opened it. A navy-haired man, dressed in green jacket entered the room.

"Minato-san, welcome..." greeted Souji. "Anyway, what brings you here?" asked the silverette.

"I come for Gin's request..." said Minato. "He asked me to tell you about something..."

"Gin?" Souji frowned.

"Do you hear that sound?" asked Minato, referring to the siren. Souji nodded.

"Actually, a terrible incident happened in your former school, Yasogami... because of that, many policemen were dispatched into the school ground..." said Minato, looking at the direction of the window.

"An incident? At Yasogami?" said Souji, seemingly surprised by the information.

"And from Kurosawa-san, the incident has something to do with our would-be enemy..." the bluenette continued.

"Serpent Tail?" asked Souji.

"Yes, Serpent Tail... although I didn't see it yet, but from what I've heard from Gin, about almost 30 students from a class, along with their teacher... were brutally killed..." explained Minato.

"Killed?"

Meanwhile, at the school zone...

Dojima arrived at the school compound, along with his partner, a certain brunette woman dressed in regular policeman's suit for lady. They entered the school building and went towards the crime scene.

Dojima and Chie entered the classroom where the incident happened and quickly covered their nose and mouth because the smell of rotten flesh was unbearable.

"This is... worst than what I've expected, Satonaka..." said Dojima, looking around the classroom, which was completely stained by blood. Dead bodies were everywhere and their face couldn't tell who they were. Some of them still on their sitting position, as the others were lying on the floor. Then another body, which they concluded as the teacher, was lying motionlessly on the table.

"This is..." Chie looking at the teacher's body as she could barely recognize it since the dead body might be someone who had taught her before.

After having a briefing from the other investigators, they began to investigate the place.

"They were found early this morning, which concludes that they were killed yesterday, based on their rotten flesh... but something bothers me, Satonaka..." said Dojima, lighting up his cigarette.

"What is it, Dojima-san?" asked Chie, taking some crime scene's picture.

"If they were killed yesterday, why they didn't be found last night since based on their position, they were killed during having lecture, since their teacher was still there..." the man gestured to the dead teacher. "At least school janitor might find them before students..."

"Some of our men had questioned the janitors and they answered that they found nothing here last night..." said Chie, looking at her superior after finishing her task to take the pictures.

"Hmm... that's weird..." mused Dojima. "Luckily students had returned home now... let's gather more information, Satonaka..."

"Yes, sir!"

~darkness~

"Do you know there's a massacre at Yasogami?"

"Killing? That's scary..."

"And I heard Kumiko-san's daughter was one of the victims too!!"

"I wonder what's going on…"

"This is the worst than five years ago..."

Yosuke sighed as he leaned himself on the torii of the shrine. People at shopping district were busy talking about the incident at Yasogami. Gin came out from the shrine ground towards Yosuke.

"It's spreading faster than I've expected... it's no surprise since this is only a small town..." said Gin.

"Is that true? About Serpent Tail? Did they kill those students?" asked Yosuke.

"Yes... they were killed brutally and from our investigation, it's because of Serpent Tail... and I believe the one who killed them might be Pride..." said Gin again.

"Pride?"

"A new Pride..." added Gin. "Like I've said before, Orochi has seven adjutants and they were named after seven deadly sins. Pride, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony and Lust..." explained the old man.

"Seven deadly sins?" Yosuke looked at his teacher.

"Yes... and they obtained their power from their master, Yamata-no-Orochi..." continued Gin.

"So, are they the same... people like 25 years ago, during Chie's mother became the heiress?" asked Yosuke, seemingly curious.

"Most of them were killed during that war... I personally killed Wrath as Shirogane killed Pride due to a personal reason... a deceased member of Serpent Eater detonated a bomb, killing Lust along with her... Greed was executed by government as his power was sealed by me... Daidara beheaded Envy... as Satonaka, I mean Satonaka Hiroshi, killed Gluttony... but Sloth was spared due to unapparent reason..." explained Gin.

"Dude, that's scary... I never thought you old men had killed many people before..." commented Yosuke.

"But during the war, most of us obtained losses... Shirogane lost his wife, Daidara lost one of his eyes and his daughter, Kurosawa lost his fiancée, Hiroshi lost his younger brother and most of the members were killed during the war... so in this upcoming war, I'll expect a massive loss in our side..." said Gin.

"This is... ridiculous. Losing life because of a single girl, what a petty reason..." said Yosuke.

"It isn't the same if the girl holds the key of the fate of world, Yosuke..."

Then, Gin looked at certain direction before he looked back at Yosuke. "Yosuke, follow me..."

The brunette man followed the old man into the shrine. Fox from above of the shrine jumped down and followed them. They walked inside the shrine into the centre of the holy place before Gin stopped.

"Yosuke, please get hold on my shoulder..." demanded Gin.

"Why?" asked Yosuke.

"Just do it..." ordered Gin.

The brunette man sighed before reached his hand onto Gin's shoulder.

"Close your eyes, Yosuke..." ordered Gin. Yosuke closed his eyes before something weird happened. He felt he was sucked into another dimension. As he opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely bizarre place, where he was standing on a peak of huge rock, while still holding Gin's shoulder.

Then he looked at himself, to find his body looked like hologram image from those sci-fi movies. Fox, who was beside him also looked like a shadow silhouette.

_Welcome to the Order of Izumo, Yosuke..._

Gin was speaking, but his voice seemed to be echoed like in a cave. Then, some silhouettes came, which took form of other Serpent Eaters like Kurosawa, Daidara, Shirogane, Ryoji, Minato and Souji, in which each of them took their place in every huge rock.

_It's been a while since I had used this technique..._

Daidara's silhouette was speaking as he sat on the rock. Meanwhile, Shirogane's silhouette looked at Daidara's silhouette.

_You're getting sloppy, old man Daidara..._

The blacksmith's silhouette chuckled. Then the police officer's silhouette coughed.

_So, each of us has known about that incident, right?_

Gin's silhouette nodded.

_Positively, yes... and I believe it was caused by Pride, new Pride..._

Souji's silhouette looked at the old man's silhouette.

_Pride?_

Then Kurosawa's silhouette seemed to hold a document as he read it. Then a hologram picture of someone appeared in midair.

_I have conducted a research about the new adjutants and it seems that six of them are new and the old one remains... first, Wrath, Charles Giovanni...he was formerly known as one of FBI agents. But he was later executed by the government because of a secret massacre which was conducted by him. Then he was revived by Orochi and became Wrath..._

Gin's silhouette placed his hand under his chin.

_Sounds the same like the previous Wrath..._

Then the picture changed into another one.

_The second one is Envy, Moses Steward... he's once a young priest but then was corrupted by black magic... he murdered his fellow friends, and then executed... but Orochi revived him and made him his adjutant of Envy..._

After that, the picture changed into another one, which was a woman.

_The third one is Lust, Vineyard, a former assassin... but she was believed to be killed in an explosion and the world labeled her as 'dead'... but Orochi also revived her to become his adjutant of Lust..._

Then, another picture replaced the previous one.

_This one is Solomon Spike, the new Gluttony... he's a serial killer who liked to kill women and declared himself as a descendant of Jack the Ripper... but presumed dead as his apartment was exploded due to an arson attempt... but it's also believed that Orochi revived him, making him his Gluttony adjutant..._

After that, another picture was on air.

_This is Michael Harvey, the Greed... he's once a leader of a gangster who liked to kill everyone he wanted... he's also known as the Master of Gamble... but he was killed in a gangster's war... after that, Orochi revived him, thus making him his adjutant of Greed..._

Then, a picture of a man with pink hair was on air. Somehow, Daidara turned his face away from the picture.

_And this is Sarutobi Daisuke, also known as Sake, the Sloth... different than others, he's the only survived adjutant of the previous war... he's a swordsman and different than others, he's background was a mystery... but it is believed that he's dangerous in many ways since he had killed dozens of Serpent Eaters in the previous war... so, beware of him..._

At last, the picture of a yellow-haired man with yellow eyes was on air. The picture made Minato's silhouette seemed agitated.

_He's..._

_You're almost right, Arisato... he is the new Pride, Sakaki Takaya... leader of rogue Persona-users, Strega, he was presumed dead after the Fall incident... but Orochi revived him to be his adjutant of Pride..._

Ryoji's silhouette chuckled.

_Fufufufu... this is rather interesting..._

~darkness~

Another chapter completed. This is a new arc, Serpent Tail arc. I feel rather happy since I've received so many reviews. Alright, this chapter is about their new trial and about Order of Izumo, I got this idea from the way of Akatsuki's members gathered in Naruto. Hologram silhouettes, hehe... anyway, I appreciate those who are reading this story. Last but not least, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	35. Serpent Requiem

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 35: Serpent Requiem

Takaya walked into the abandoned warehouse with his revolver in his hand. Inside the warehouse, Charles was waiting for him.

"You've caused quite a ruckus out there, Takaya..." said Charles, looking at the yellow-eyed man. Takaya looked at the adjutant of Wrath before he spoke.

"This is a more convenient way to make our master's goal into reality... by sacrificing some of ignorant people out there... furthermore, wiping all people from the face of earth is our primary goal, right?" Takaya spoke with such a low tone.

Charles chuckled as he had heard something which amused him. "Well, it's mildly surprising that you still remember those things, Pride... by slaughtering enough people to draw the attention of the eighth maiden... then, we will expect some bloodshed out there..." said Charles.

"For the first time, I agree with you, Wrath..." replied Takaya with an evil smirk.

~darkness~

"So, all bodies were sent to the crime lab for autopsy, right?" asked Chie to her superior, Dojima.

"Yes... but since it might take some times, the results might be out for tomorrow..." explained the senior detective. "Anyway, it's getting late already... you've been here for a whole day, Satonaka... you should have some rest. I'll ask one of our men to bring you home..."

"I'm alright, Dojima-san... I think I should stay a little longer here..." replied Chie with a smile.

Dojima sighed as he shrugged. "Okay, just stay here and collect more evidence... but you're not Adachi, you hear me? You don't even know how to handle firearm or any stuff like that..." said Dojima as he turned back.

"Dojima-san, it's not like culprit might popped out from nowhere..." said Chie. "If culprit does show up, I still can kick his butt off..."

Dojima sighed again. "Alright, alright... but don't force yourself too much, Satonaka... I don't want you to injure yourself again because of your gun..."

Chie was taken aback by what her superior had said to her. Last year, she unintentionally injured her own leg while using her firearm. They were chasing an armed thief at that time and when Chie took out her gun to shoot the thief, she was too nervous to open fire and ended up shooting her own leg. As a result, she spent about three months in hospital and another five months for rehabilitation.

It's not like she didn't learn how to handle firearm during in police academy, but she tended to use physical force rather than intellect or something like that. After thinking about the miracle she got when she joined the police force, she just heavily sighed.

Chie walked into the classroom or the so-called crime scene. Stains of blood were still at their place as the dead bodies were taken for autopsy. Some of investigators were searching for any clue that might be able to tell them about the massacre.

_Eighth..._

Suddenly, she heard that voice again, the whispery voice which occasionally bothered her mind. But this time, the voice made her head sick, making she felt like she wanted to vomit.

"Satonaka-san, what's up?" asked one of the investigators.

"N-Nothing!!" replied Chie, trying to combat the dizziness. She frantically walked out from the classroom, deciding to return to Dojima's side. Before she could reach her superior, she heard a click within her mind before everything went black.

"Satonaka? What's going on?"

It was Dojima's voice. It seemed he was on his way to the classroom.

Chie had no strength to stand anymore as she felt that she would collapse. Then, she thudded on the floor.

"Satonaka?! Satonaka?! Hey, answer me!!"

_Eighth..._

"Someone, call paramedics!!"

~darkness~

All Serpent Eaters still had their hologram gathering in the Order of Izumo. Shirogane's silhouette looked at the group leader, Gin.

_ I heard that our princess this time is a police detective, am I correct?_

Gin looked at Yosuke's silhouette, who was holding his shoulder.

_Is that true?_

Yosuke nodded. Then Shirogane seemed to be thinking.

_Hmm... That's quite a predicament... if she's a police detective, she might get involved into the investigation of this murder... then, the chance for Serpent Tail of having their grasp on the princess would probably higher than I've expected..._

Yosuke was shocked.

_What?!_

Gin coughed, drawing attention of the others to him.

_Yosuke, you haven't given her that locket, have you?_

Yosuke lowered his gaze, seemingly hesitated to tell it.

_I-I'm sorry... I haven't given her yet... so, would she be okay in this rate?_

Gin shrugged.

_I afraid that we couldn't help that much if she becomes involved in this... it's up for you as her guardian to protect her..._

Yosuke nodded.

_I'll remember that..._

Then, the silhouette of the old man looking at the others.

_I believe that's all for today, for us as Serpent Eaters... remember, the safety of our princess is the priority for all of us, to the point we would dare to lose anything, even our precious life. Dismiss!!_

As for that, the other silhouettes vanished. Then, Yosuke, Gin and Fox returned to the interior part of the shrine.

"Yosuke, I'm leaving the princess for you... don't forget to give her that locket, okay?" said Gin before he began to walk out from the shrine.

"Wait!" Yosuke's voice made Gin's steps halted.

"What is it, apprentice?" Gin looked behind to see his student.

"Am I... even qualify as a guardian?" asked Yosuke.

Gin chuckled before he continued his walks.

"Just believe in yourself, Yosuke... that's the most important thing you should remember..."

Gin walked out from the shrine, leaving Yosuke and Fox alone. The animal looked at the brunette man with gentle eyes.

"He's right, Fox... I should believe in myself more..." said Yosuke.

Fox yipped, seemingly agreed with Yosuke.

~darkness~

Naoto seemed to be very busy cleaning her revolver. Due to unknown cause, she was alone in her house in Shirogane estate. Her grandfather was nowhere to be found, and the same went for his assistant, Yakushiji. Nowadays, her grandfather seemed to be pretty busy about something.

"Hmm... I wonder where grandpa goes..." muttered Naoto as she wiped her revolver. She got license to have firearm after her graduation at Yasogami. She believed that having her revolver around might helped her sometimes since her involvement in many high-profiled cases might cause some troubles for her, and the weapon might be handy at that time.

Suddenly, due to unknown reason, the part she was working on was cleaved by an unknown force. Her eyes widened as she saw the unrealistic phenomenon. How come a metallic part of the revolver was cut when she was cleaning it? She instinctively stood up and reached for another revolver, prepared herself if something came out. After several minutes of nothingness, she looked around before putting back her revolver onto the table. She stared the part which was cut by something.

"This is... weird..." commented Naoto. She placed her finger on the table, and gasped as the table was cut into halves.

"What the?!" uttered Naoto as she looked at her hand.

"Is this... the new power which Amaterasu gave to me?"

~darkness~

Yukari, Aigis, Fuuka and Mitsuru were paying a visit at Amagi Inn. All of them were having a good chat before Yukari spoke something.

"Now that you've mentioned it, how come we could use our Persona in real world? I've tried it before, when it's not Dark Hour, but Isis didn't come out..." said Yukari.

"I feel something strange about it as well... it's true that we can feel our Persona even though we are in the real world, but now, we can summon them..." said Aigis, seemingly agreed to the brunette woman.

"Maybe Ryoji-kun knows the cause..." suggested Fuuka.

"Maybe, since he's the Shadow after all..." said Mitsuru.

Then, a black-haired woman, dressed in pink kimono came.

"I've heard your conversation, guys... there's once Ryoji-kun told me that we can use the Persona because of him... his presence adds some ideal atmosphere for Persona to manifest..." explained the woman, Yukiko.

"Hmmm... that's explained it..." mused Yukari. "But hey, Ryoji told you?"

"Well... yeah. He's my mentor after all..." replied Yukiko.

"Wait, I smell something naughty over here..." said Mitsuru with a smirk. "That's quite bold of you, Yukiko-chan... Having another man beside you other than Souji... you're quite a dominant, girl..."

"W-Wait?! What does that mean?" asked Yukiko with a flustered expression.

"Whoa... is that true, Yukiko-chan?" asked Fuuka.

"N-No!! Of course not!! My heart is only, solely only for Seta Souji-kun!! Ryoji-kun is just a mentor of mine!! Is that clear?!" exclaimed Yukiko embarrassedly.

"Oh, really? Well, let us change the topic, shall we?" suggested Mitsuru. "I've heard from an anonymous yet trustful information about your frequent visits to Souji's room... we want to know about what are you doing there?" a smug smile was curved on Mitsuru's lips.

"Wha-Wait!! I mean, how did you know about that?!" asked Yukiko as her face reddened.

"Haha, Nanako-chan..." replied Mitsuru.

"That's not even anonymous at all..." commented Aigis.

"Anyway, you're not answering my question, Yukiko-chan... I wonder how good he is in..." Mitsuru gave the flustered woman a naughty smile. "You know it, right?"

"No, no!! Don't think for any of that!! It's just... we're not ready for any of that... and instead of doing something like that, he said that we should think more about our works and the future marriage arrangement. He said he wants to propose me after his graduation... he's even deciding to assume Amagi's name after our marriage, if the time has come..." said Yukiko timidly.

"Yukiko-chan..." Fuuka looked at the younger woman with kind eyes.

"He sounds like a good man, isn't he?" commented Mitsuru.

"He is..." nodded Aigis.

Meanwhile, in Souji's room at Dojima's residence...

"Hachiu!!"

Souji who was cooking something in the kitchen was sneezing. Minato, who was accompanying Nanako watching a TV show, looked at the silverette.

"What's up? Having cold?" asked Minato.

"No... It just I feel that some girls were talking something indecent about me..." said Souji.

~darkness~

"Here's the coffee, Satonaka..." Dojima gave his assistant a can of coffee, which he had bought from a vending machine nearby. "They said you're just exhausted... maybe you should consider of having a good rest at home..." both of them were on their way to Chie's home. They took some while at the shopping district to buy the drinks. Both of them leaned on Dojima's car.

"But, there's a murder in my former school! There's no way I could let something like that happened!!" said Chie, before realizing who she was talking to. "S-Sorry, Dojima-san..."

"Me too..." said Dojima. "It's been a while since this town got something terrible like this. Anyway, I've gotten a hunch that this is not just an ordinary killing..."

Chie frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I afraid it's just the same like that TV thing five years ago. Although we had completely canvassed the crime scene, we still haven't gotten any clue about suspect, and we don't even know about the killing weapon the culprit might use..." said Dojima.

"I see that too... even though the place was in a complete mess, it's like the culprit made it perfectly by leaving no trace of his existence there. Well, it just... you know, blood spread anywhere and we couldn't know where the culprit might stand when he was killing the victims..." stated Chie.

"That too..." nodded Dojima. "But the thing which bothers me the most was this..." he took out his cell phone and opened the message inbox. "This is from crime lab..."

"What did it say?" asked Chie.

"Although the bodies seemed to be damaged due to decaying process, they didn't find any wound or injury which might bring death to them... and about blood, it's like it just came out from their body without passing through any opening... and it proves that searching for killing weapon would be irrelevant for now..." said Dojima, putting back his cell phone into his pocket.

"That's weird... killing without injuring the victims, sounds like a terrible joke from a bad scary movie..." commented Chie.

"Satonaka, I know maybe someday, it'll become worse than this... and I'm not sure that I could face it or not... and the thing I afraid the most is... if I couldn't do anything if something like that happens to those who're close to me..." said Dojima.

"Dojima-san..."

"Satonaka, let's go... you should get more rest. I'll deal with all these; about you having a break from your work... just have a good rest for now, okay..." Dojima entered the car and started the engine.

"Okay..." nodded Chie.

~darkness~

Daidara was having a walk at Samegawa. It's been a while since he was out of his workshop. Suddenly, he felt something was not right and he looked behind.

"Long time no see, Master Daidara..."

The blacksmith scowled as he saw a pink-haired man with eye-patch. He wore a black kimono on him. Daidara could see a katana's hilt from his clothes.

"It's been a while, Sake..." Daidara tried to act casually. "How are you?"

"Nothing special... man, you seem old... you're completely different than 25 years ago, Master Daidara..." said Sake.

"And you look just like the same I could remember 25 years ago, Daisuke... or should I call you Sarutobi?" said the blacksmith.

"I would be delightful if you just call me 'Sake', teacher..." said Sake with a seemingly-normal smile.

"Teacher? You still could call me 'teacher' after taking my daughter's life 25 years ago?" asked Daidara with his single eye looking at the pink-haired man. "And after taking this eye off, you still want to call me as 'teacher'?" he pointed on his closed eye.

"Of course you're still my teacher, Master Daidara... the technique you had taught before, the same technique which I used to separate your daughter's head and body and many others, I'm still using it..." said Sake, putting his finger on his neck. "Hmm... I wonder who she was, Kaguya?"

"You've been too wild, Daisuke... your heart can no longer be saved, and death is only the way for you to purify your sins..." said Daidara with regret hinted in his words.

"Hmm... I'm already a sin myself..." said Sake before he walked away.

Daidara let the pink-haired man walked away. As Sake was couldn't longer be seen, he took out an old photo of a young woman.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Kaguya..."

~darkness~

Ken polished his spear in his room. He should get prepared for the upcoming battle and he knew it might be tougher than before. Suddenly, someone was knocking the door from outside. Silently, he placed his spear under his bed before went towards the door and opened it, only to find his girlfriend, Aya.

"Aya?" Ken frowned by seeing the girl in front of him. "It's already this late, why-eh?" before he could finish his sentence, the blonde girl hugged him.

"You're saying you'll be transferred out, right?" asked Aya.

"That's the cause it seems..." said Ken. "Don't worry, I'll be okay..." then the girl released her hug.

"I know you'll be okay, Ken-kun..." said Aya. "It just I want to give you this..." the girl took out an old watch and handed it to Ken.

"Watch?" Ken looked at the antique device.

"It's my late father's watch... I'm used to consider this thing as a memento of him, but I think you should have it, as a lucky charm..." Aya gave the brunette boy a warm smile.

"But, this is your father's watch! It's not like I should have it!" Ken seemed hesitated to take it.

"But, you should have it. Both you and my late father always think about justice... so if you bring this thing along, his spirit might be at your side, protecting you..." said Aya, looking straight at Ken's brown eyes.

"Aya..."

"Please be safe there, Ken-kun..." said Aya.

Ken smiled before he hugged the girl. "I will... don't worry about me, Aya..."

Aya enjoyed the embrace before she whispered to Ken's ear.

"I love you..."

~darkness~

Takaya and Charles arrived in front of Junes. Takaya wore a heavy coat to conceal his revolver as Charles took out a white stick of cigarette.

"Let's begin the requiem now..." said Charles, putting the stick between his lips and the tip of the stick ignited by itself.

Thus, two phantoms entered the stage...

And the war was officially declared...

~darkness~

Huh, another chapter updated. There's nothing to be said in here, just want to say, happy reading this chapter, and last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	36. Hallelujah

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 36: Hallelujah

Two housewives were talking to each other inside an elevator in Junes. Both of them were busy changing each other's update without realizing the upcoming danger ahead.

"Oh, I'll remember that... I think miso soup is better than having instant noodle..." said a housewife in blue clothes.

"Yeah, it's healthier to have miso soup... anyway, did you hear about that incident?" another housewife, who was dressed in yellow clothes, changed their topic. "About the killings at Yasogami? It's already in media!!"

"Really? I don't really watch TV myself... but those poor kids, I feel sorry for them..." said the other one.

"Me too. I heard they were killed because of gunshots... I wonder if that's true or not... ah, we're down already..."

The bell rang; signifying that the elevator had arrived at the ground level. As the door opened, a yellow-haired man in heavy coat was standing in front of the elevator. He smirked to the two ladies before taking out a revolver, much to their surprise.

"Hi..." said the man, Takaya, aiming the weapon to one of them.

Bang!!

The other woman couldn't do anything as the woman's brain splattered on the wall because of the single shot. The woman died instantly as she fell on the cold floor. The remaining woman screamed in horror as she saw the murder.

"Good... that's the one I eager to hear the most, the melodious scream of fear..." said Takaya, aiming his gun to the horrified woman. "But sadly, everything would come to an end eventually, and you have no exception, madam..."

The woman trembled as Takaya walked nearer to her and fell on her knee as the tip of the revolver touched her forehead. "Accept your demise with grace and dignity… human... it'll come soon afterwards..."

"P-Please... don't kill me..." pleaded the woman for her life.

"Human shouldn't ask for life, if their hearts themselves yearn for death..." said Takaya as he pulled the trigger.

Bang!!

The woman fell onto the floor limply. Then he took a quick glance outside of the lift, only to see Charles with a pile of dead bodies.

"Huh, what a disgraceful display of feeling they have..." said Charles, wiping his silvery dagger with a small cloth. "Anyway, we shall proceed... it won't be called as 'requiem' if this is only thing we can do..." Charles entered the elevator, before kicking out those two dead women out of the elevator.

"And so it begins..." Takaya smirked before the door closed.

~darkness~

Junpei and his wife, Chidori, were having a shopping trip at Junes. After having such a long trip, they stopped at the food court.

"I saw that black and white dress at the woman section. It's so cute! I think I've gotten an idea about making a cosplay costume now..." say the red-haired woman happily. Junpei couldn't help but to smile as well, to see how happy the woman had become.

"It's good, isn't it? I'm happy to see you enjoying yourself there..." said Junpei to his wife, making the woman blushed.

Junpei stared Chidori's face. Seeing the woman's happiness makes him eager to protect her. He still could remember that day, in front of Tartarus, when Chidori gave her own life to save his life from a mortal danger. There's no way he could forget when he woke up from a near-death experience, before Chidori fell into his hands. He still could clearly remember that he felt like his heart was chopped into pieces as the woman died in his embrace. Her life was channeled into him and he swore to use the life he obtained to protect anyone.

Due to some unexplainable reason, somehow Chidori was revived, without her memory and Persona. She was under the care of Kirijo Family ever since until Junpei proposed her to become his wife. Junpei couldn't help but to smile as he remembered the day of their wedding.

"It's noisy over there... did something happen?" said Chidori. Junpei looked at the direction where Chidori indicated. He heard some loud screams and gunshots.

"What the?!" Junpei's eyes widenend before he rushed into the complex. Chidori followed him. Both of them gasped to see the havoc that was created inside the complex. Many people rushed to go out from the complex for their life as a familiar man, who was holding a revolver, fired aimlessly to everywhere. Junpei and Chidori could see some people, seemingly injured or dead, were lying on the floor.

"Takaya?!" there's no way he could forget the one who responsible for Chidori's supposed death. "How come he..."

"Do you know him?" asked Chidori, didn't remember that the man was once one of her comrades. Junpei grunted before he took his wife's wrist and rushed for the exit.

"Chidori, you should get out of here!! Use the stairway!!" ordered Junpei as he pushed his wife into the crowd. After managed to squeeze Chidori into the crowd, he turned back and walked away.

"Wait!! What about you?!" asked Chidori to Junpei.

"I still have something to be attended here... don't worry about me..." said Junpei. Before Chidori could ask him another question, Junpei rushed towards a certain direction.

Junpei picked a steel rod from a display shelf before he checked for his Evoker. He grunted as he forgot to bring along the summoning device. There's no way he could summon Trismegistus in that rate, but he still could fight. He walked towards Takaya and the other man.

"Oh, what a surprise..." said Takaya, seemingly to be mildly surprised. "Look who we have here..."

"Are you Takaya?" asked Junpei, tightened his grip to the steel rod in his hand.

"Of course... you're Iori Junpei, am I correct?" asked Takaya again. He removed his jacket and tossed it away.

"Yeah!! So what?!" Junpei assumed his battle stance. His Persona's sense began to trigger his mind as his eyes were fixated on the two dangerous men.

"So, let us begin!!" Takaya fired several bullets to Junpei. With such agility, Junpei dodged all of them before he rushed towards Takaya with the metal rod prepared in his hands. As he stood in front of the tall man, Charles appeared between both of them, before kicking Junpei's stomach, sending him behind.

"Gaah!!" the man was thrown behind. To avoid himself from hitting the shelves, he tried to touch the floor and it worked. He finally stopped the momentum and began to stand again.

"What's the matter, Junpei? Show me your strength just like that time..." said Takaya with a mocking smile. Junpei grunted before he dashed forward and tried to give the man a critical hit. But Takaya easily evaded the attack before he summoned his Persona.

"Hypnos..."

The grostique-looking Persona appeared above Takaya before the Persona of the Fortune Arcana fired ice projectiles towards Junpei. The man tried to cover himself as he took some steps aback. Before Takaya could make any follow-up attack, suddenly a voice could be heard, along with the sound of broken glass.

"Kamui!!"

A Persona of the Star Arcana dived in air, before firing a massive Bufudyne to Hypnos along with his summoner. Takaya stepped behind and saw Kamui, floating in air before the Persona dissipated.

Then, a blonde boy came with a claw attached on one of his hands.

"Junpei, are you alright?" asked the boy, Teddie.

"I'm alright... I hope I have my Evoker with me..." said Junpei. Then, Teddie handed the man a gun-like device.

"I'm the one who created it... it might become handy sometimes..." said Teddie.

"Thanks, Ted!!" Junpei aimed the device on his temple and pulled the trigger, but...

Woosh!!

Junpei felt something wet came out from the end of the device, which happened to be a toy pistol. He looked at Teddie with an angered expression.

"This is a water pistol, dammit!!" yelled Junpei angrily as he threw the thing back to Teddie.

"Whoops... wrong gun..." said Teddie. He took out another gun-like device and handed it to Junpei. "This is a real one..."

Junpei snorted before he took the Evoker and placed it on his temple. Then, a card appeared in front of Teddie before they shouted in unison.

"Persona!!"

The sound of broken glasses resonated within the parameter before Trismegistus of the Magician Arcana and Kamui of the Star Arcana appeared above their summoners.

"Vorpal Blade!!" Junpei shouted before Trismegistus widened his wings on his feet, creating the shining trails around him. Takaya and Charles tried to evade the attacks but Teddie began to cast a spell.

"Mabufudyne!!"

A massive iceberg was formed within the area.

~darkness~

Yosuke heard an unusual commotion when he was standing in front of the Junes' entrance. He found many people rushed out from the premise. He entered the place and utterly surprised as he saw a pile of dead bodies on the floor.

"No way..." uttered the brunette man. He groaned before he took out Malakh, his weapon from his jacket. He had to time to wait for the elevator to come down as he preferred to climb the stairway. He rushed forward to the upper store as he took out his cell phone.

"Souji!! They're coming!!"

~darkness~

Teddie acted as a support for Junpei as the man attacked both Charles and Takaya. They were in disadvantage as both Charles and Takaya were combatants. It's like both of them were fighting Junpei alone.

"Mr. Junpei!! Hang in there!!" Teddie casted Diaharan on Junpei as Takaya used Hypnos to cast ice spell on Junpei's right hand.

"Gaaah!! Agidyne!!" Junpei summoned Trismegistus and fired a single flame attack towards Takaya. Strangely enough, Takaya let himself be attacked by the fire, and emerged from the flame unharmed.

"What the?! This is ridiculous!! How suppose we fight them?!" Junpei gritted his teeth as both Takaya and Charles seemed unharmed by any of their attack.

"You're quite strong than the last time, Junpei... I wonder if you want to see my new power..." said Takaya as he lowered his weapon and put one of his hands on his head. He clutched his head before he shouted. "Lucifer!!"

A Persona, resembling Lucifer which seemed to be previously used by both Minato and Souji, emerged from Takaya, replacing Hypnos. The Persona, Lucifer looked at both Junpei and Teddie with his crimson eyes. Suddenly, both of them felt a heavy pressure on their body and couldn't move.

"Urgh!! What's... going on?" muttered Junpei, struggling to move his body.

"This is... impossible..." Teddie tried to move his body, but to no avail. Then Lucifer raised his hand and some kind of Almighty power was concentrated in his hand before the place was engulfed by some kind of blinding light.

"Morning Star!!"

Then, an explosion occurred. Many things such as shelves and items were destroyed, turned into dust and debris. As the dust finally cleared, Takaya frowned to see a new figure, which took shape of a man with blue jumpsuit with a massive shuriken on him, protecting both Junpei and Teddie from the attack.

"So... you're the one who killed them, right?" the figure, Susano-O of the Magician Arcana dissipated as Yosuke stepped into the scene with both his daggers on his hands. "All those people who died down there..."

"So what?" Takaya looked at Yosuke.

"Then you should pay for it!!" a new voice could be heard as a silverette jumped into the premise through the window before he shouted. "Hassou Tobi!!"

A Persona of the Tower Arcana, Yoshitsune, appeared and created a series of cutting trails on the floor, attacking both Charles and Takaya, before an explosion occurred. As the dust finally settled, Charles and Takaya seemed unharmed as they used their Persona, Amon and Lucifer to protect themselves.

"Oh, it's quite a good mood-maker we have here..." commented Takaya. "Well then, we shall proceed..."

"I think that's enough..." suggested Charles. "We're leaving..."

"Oh..." Takaya looked at his comrade's face. "Alright... farewell then..." Takaya raised his revolver before releasing some shots onto the ceiling, thus creating a massive hole. Then Charles took out a smoke bomb and detonated it. As the smoke settled, both of them vanished.

"Tch!! Those jerks..." grunted Yosuke.

"Are you alright, Teddie? Junpei-san?" Souji asked both Teddie and Junpei.

"I'm alright..." nodded Junpei.

"Don't worry sensei!! This bear is alright!!" stated Teddie.

"That's good to hear..." sighed Souji. Then, Ryoji arrived at the scene.

"Sorry if I come late... oh my, what a trouble they've made here..." commented Ryoji as he observed at the devastated place. "Anyway, we should hurry... police will soon come... I'll handle this matter..."

"I'm leaving it to you, Ryoji-san..." nodded Souji. "Anyway, I found Chidori-san down there... she seems alright..." Souji looked at Junpei.

"Thank god..." said Junpei.

"Oh shit, police has already here... let's go!!" said Yosuke as he heard the siren.

~darkness~

"Oh my god... now that's bad..." commented Dojima as he arrived at the scene. He looked at Junes' building, only to see a massive hole on the upper edge of the building. The man looked at some paramedics, who were taking out some dead bodies from the building.

"This is worse than I've imagined..." a white-haired police officer came. "Anyway, thanks for not declining the offer of our assistance, Dojima-san" said the man, Akihiko.

"I'll be glad if you're helping us, Sanada-kun..." said Dojima. "And, we've decided to ask for Shirogane-kun's assistance as well for this matter..."

"That would be the best..." nodded Akihiko. "Dojima-san, do you think this case and the previous one have something to do with terrorism or something like that?"

"We're still searching for the clue to prove that or this case might probably not have any connection with Yasogami's massacre at all..." said Dojima, lighting up his cigarette. "But in both cases, fatalities have been recorded... and I afraid it might have something to do with each other..."

Then, a seemingly-worried red-haired woman, dressed in white gothic lolita dress came to the white-haired police officer.

"Akihiko-kun!! Do you see my husband?!" the woman, Chidori, asked Akihiko about her husband, Junpei, desperately.

"Junpei? Is he still there?" asked Akihiko, pointing his finger to the damaged structure. Chidori nodded.

"Is someone's still there?!" Dojima was shocked. "Call the rescue team!!"

"I think there's no need for that..." said Akihiko as he saw some people came out from the building. One of them was Junpei.

"Oh... hi, senpai!! Whatca doin- guah!!" before he could finish his words, Chidori pounched him tearfully and hugged him.

"I-I thought you... you were... *sob*" stated Chidori chokingly. Junpei sighed before he stroked the woman's hair.

Dojima realized that Souji was there. "Souji, what're you doing here?"

"Well... I just went shopping here and all that happened. Luckily I didn't bring Nanako along with me..." said Souji, refusing to tell his uncle the truth.

Dojima sighed before he put his hands on Souji's shoulder. "Thank god you're safe... be careful next time, okay?"

"I will..." nodded Souji.

~darkness~

Chie couldn't believe what she was watching just now. In the news, it was stated that there was a tragic incident in Junes shopping centre at Inaba. Dozens of people were dead and many were injured. Suddenly, she remembered about Yosuke. She worried if he's involved in that incident too.

She frantically took her cell phone. Before she could make a call, she received a call and it was from Yosuke. What a luck.

The brunette woman put the cell phone on her ear. "Hello!! Yosuke, is that you?! Are you alright!?"

_Whoa! Don't panic, Chie!! I'm alright. Anyway, where are you?_

"Well... I'm in my room. Dojima-san allowed me to have a break... so, what's up with that?" asked Chie, realizing something odd about Yosuke.

_Thank goodness... well, I want to ask you about if you have time... can we go out together sometime?_

"What?!" exclaimed Chie, seemingly shocked.

_Don't get a wrong idea there!! It just... I have something important to tell you. Don't worry, if you're too afraid to go out from your house right now, you can ask Yukiko to accompany you... I'll ask Souji to tag along too..._

"Well... alright..." said Chie. "When?"

_How about... tomorrow?_

"O-Okay..."

_Well then, see you tomorrow..._

The conversation ended.

Chie looked at the cell phone. "What's up with him?"

Meanwhile, in front of Tatsuhime Shrine...

"Things had gone pretty bad, Yosuke... it would be wise for us to act immediately..." said Gin, looking at the brunette man who put back his cell phone into his pocket.

"I'll do just that, Gin-sensei..." nodded Yosuke. He took out Yasakani-no-Magatama and stared it.

_If I can save many people by protecting you, I'll do just that, Chie..._

~darkness~

Another chapter updated. Due to unapparent reason, the chapter is getting gorier and gorier. Sorry for that, hehe... anyway, this chapter's title is Hallelujah, which is a way to praise god, don't know if I'm correct or wrong. Somehow, I still don't want to make this story M-rated since no matter how gory this story could be, it doesn't matter anymore. I've changed the rate into T just now for safety. Last but not least, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	37. Ambushed

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 37: Ambushed

Rise was walking around a garden, which was made exclusively by Tsukuyomi for her. The Adjutant of Thunder, Raiga was accompanying the seer. The woman seemed to enjoy the scenery of the garden, filled with exotic yet beautiful flowers, with blue butterflies could be seen anywhere.

"You seem happy, Rise-san..." said Raiga as he looked at the woman's face.

"Am I?" Rise turned her attention from a beautiful butterfly to the white-haired man. Then she hummed before she said, "Well... yeah, sort of..."

"It's good to hear that..." Raiga gave the woman a kind smile.

"Raiga... is that true Chie-senpai is the one who Yamata-no-Orochi sought for?" asked Rise.

"Given the situation, yes. She is a descendant of royal princess, Princess Kushinada... the legend said she was a great seer, witch doctor and philosopher, but many people considered her existence as a myth, so only those from Serpent Eaters know the truth behind it..." explained Raiga.

"Serpent Eaters?" Rise seemed unfamiliar with the term.

"Serpent Eaters, an organization which consists of people who swore to protect the bloodline of the royal blood till the very end. In ancient time, they were everywhere and they aware of Orochi's awakening, the same went for the existence of the owner of the royal blood. In each awakening, Orochi would command his seven adjutants to declare a massive war onto the Serpent Eaters; a war which is called as 'Serpent Requiem'. In that war, both sides obtained losses but in each war, Serpent Eaters managed to protect the heiress and sealed Orochi..." said Raiga. "But, just in order to protect the heiress, many were sacrificed, including the one I cherished the most at that time..."

"Himiko?" presumed Rise. Raiga nodded.

"She's also a part of Serpent Eaters at that time... she was a good tactician, leader as well as acted as a seer in the organization. But, she's not invincible when I saw her being killed in a battlefield. I was supposed to die along with her during the war, since I was her Persona at that time, but I lived..." said Raiga, smiling to Rise.

"Raiga..." Rise looked at the adjutant's face. "I'm sorry to hear that... it must be tough for you, right?"

"Nah, its okay... it had been a long time. Himiko first called upon me during her awakening, and I had no sense of my own at that time. But, as the time passed, she began to consider me as a separated entity rather as her other self. So, that's why... it's being a bit tough for some times..." said Raiga.

"So, how Himiko looked like?" asked Rise playfully.

Raiga hummed before he spoke. "Well, she's pretty, gentle, intelligent... and looked the same like you..." answered Raiga.

"Is that so?" Rise tilted her head. "Kanzeon..." then she summoned her Persona, Kanzeon of the Lovers Arcana. "Although she's not Himiko anymore, but you shouldn't mind it. So..." Rise smiled joyfully. "Go and hug her..."

"Hug her?" Raiga seemed rattled by Rise's suggestion.

"Yes, hug her... you love her, right?" said Rise.

Raiga stared on the Persona before he looked at Rise. Then he stepped towards Rise. Unexpectedly, instead of hugging the Persona, the white-haired man hugged Rise, much to the seer's surprise. Kanzeon vanished as her summoner was hugged by Raiga.

"R-Raiga? W-What're you doing?!" asked Rise as her face reddened.

"I say that she looked the same just like you..." said Raiga. "So, instead of hugging your Persona, it's better to hug you, isn't it?" he smiled happily.

"Raiga..."

Unnoticed by them, Tsukuyomi was looking at them from behind a tree. He sighed before he turned back and walked away.

"I guess Raiga is one step forward than me, Rise..."

~darkness~

In an abandoned warehouse, three people were standing around a single mirror. A seemingly goofy man, Solomon, yawned as he spoke. "How long it takes to wait for another task?"

"Patience is a part of virtue... we should be patience in order to wait for another divine task from our great master..." said Moses. Corrupted as he might be, the way he spoke was the same like a faithful religious leader.

"Pfft... virtue you say, even though you're now a vice..." commented a woman, Vineyard sarcastically.

_It seems that the Eaters finally surfaced... I couldn't afford to wait much longer... bring me the eighth maiden!!_

"Master... we are under your command..." said Moses.

~darkness~

Chie sat on her bed after putting on her clothes. She took her cell phone from her table and looked into the message inbox. There's a message from Yosuke.

_Meet you in front of Tatsuhime Shrine._

"Tatsuhime Shrine?" Chie stared on her cell phone. "Hmm... now that's weird. It's uncommon for him to go to that place..."

Chie sighed before she put her cell phone beside her. Then she stood up and went in front of her mirror. She stared on the reflection of her face before she sighed again. She seemed to be mentally exhausted because of that weird voice.

"What actually happens to me?" the brunette woman muttered.

Suddenly, when she was staring on her reflection, she saw an image of a pair of shiny yellow eyes within her mind, as well as a hissing voice, ringing inside her head with such a whispery voice.

_Eighth..._

"Stop it!!" Chie yelled as she threw a punch onto the mirror. The mirror eventually broke into pieces as Chie realized what she was doing. She finally managed to regain her sense as pain struck her knuckle.

"Oww!!" she looked on her knuckle only to see some cuts on it.

"Chie, what's going on?" then she heard her mother's voice downstairs.

"Nothing, mom!! Nothing!" answered Chie. She went outside of her room and entered the bathroom, avoiding making any contact with anyone in the house. She washed her wounds before she searched for antiseptic inside the cabinet in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen...

Chie's mother was standing in front of a window as she looked outside, seeing the clouds in the sky.

"There are so many clouds outside..." the woman muttered. Then she closed her eyes before she spoke again.

"I hope that's not the sign of the requiem..."

~darkness~

"So, Yukiko will go to Chie's house, right?" asked Yosuke to his partner, Souji.

"Yes..." nodded Souji. "It's not that we should rely on her much, but it's a common sense to not make any assault if the prey is within a pack..."

"Man... that's Souji the genius-pants for you..." commented Yosuke.

Souji chuckled by hearing his new-acquired nickname. "Anyway, how about your parents?"

"They're alright. It just happened that they weren't in the building when that killing happened... I mean, they were lucky..." then the brunette man clenched his fists. "But, I feel sorry for those who died. Most of them are women, girls, children, elders... they died because of those piles of bullshits called Serpent Tail!"

"Yosuke..." Souji looked at his best friend. "I know... I feel sorry for them too. So, with the power we have, we should protect all people... together..."

"Souji... you're really my best friend..." said Yosuke with a smile. "Let's protect them together..."

Meanwhile, as Chie walked out from her house, she saw Yukiko, dressed in her usual black and white dress. The daughter of Amagi Inn's manager flashed a smile to her best friend before she walked to her.

"Good morning, Chie..." greeted Yukiko.

"Mornin'..." replied Chie, giving her best friend a smile. But the smile couldn't hide the fact that she looked tired.

"Chie... you look tired." Yukiko looked at Chie with her concerned look. "Didn't you have a good sleep last night?"

"What are you talking about, Yukiko? See?! I'm clearly fine!!" Chie tried to look tough by standing straight, but as she tried to stand straight, she wobbled before she fell on the pavement. "Oww!!"

"Chie... you are totally not fine..." said Yukiko. "And what with those eyes? They're puffy. And what with that face? Have you washed it? And what with this terribly familiar odor? Have you already brushed your teeth after chewing your meat gum!?" Yukiko gave Chie a barrage of questions.

"Yukiko!! I'm totally fine!!" protested Chie.

"You're not fine, my dear Chie..." then Chie's mother came out from the house. "Oh, Yukiko-chan, welcome..." the elder woman realized Yukiko's presence and gave her a bow. Yukiko also gave her a bow.

"Ah... good morning, Satonaka-san..." said Yukiko to the elder woman.

"Alright, lady... you must go in and wash your face! Brush your teeth before you go outside! And about this..." the older Satonaka went towards her daughter before she took out a pack of meat gums from Chie's pocket. "You're not allowed to have any of these for today..."

"Mom!!" protested Chie disappointedly. The older Satonaka raised one of her eyebrows before the younger one sighed. "Alright, alright... I'm going in..." Chie walked into the house, leaving her mother and Yukiko outside.

"My, my... where's your rumored boyfriend? I've heard about him from Chie sometimes ago..." said Chie's mother. Yukiko blushed before she shook her head.

"It isn't funny! Gezz... you and your daughter are much the same after all..." said Yukiko. Chie's mother giggled by hearing that.

"My dear Yukiko-chan... it isn't sweet to hear that from your mouth..." reprimanded the older woman softly. "Hmm... Seeing you have reminded me of your mother after all... both of you are much the same too..." the woman gave Yukiko a kind smile.

"Really?" Yukiko looked at the older woman with a puzzled look.

Then, Chie came out from the house. "Well... I'm ready..." she seemed refreshed compared to her earlier self. "Let's go, Yukiko..."

Yukiko bowed to Chie's mother. "Well... see you later, Satonaka-san..." then she walked with Chie.

The woman just smile before a small bird perched on her shoulder. She wasn't startled by the sudden touch on her shoulder as she put her finger under the bird's beak. The bird chirped as like the small bird itself was talking to the woman. She nodded as like she understood what was the bird had told her.

"I see. So it's true after all..." then the bird jumped onto the woman's finger.

"Serpent Tail has awakened..."

~darkness~

Both Yukiko and Chie were walking along Samegawa. They were talking to each other about many things.

"Did you hear about that incident?" asked Chie. "At Junes?"

"Yeah... it's all over the media already..." nodded Yukiko. "But, I feel sorry for those who were involved... I heard many were killed there. And, what about Yosuke-kun's parents?"

"Yosuke told me they're fine, so he said to not worry about that much..." said Chie. "Anyway, Yosuke looks a little weird nowadays... I wonder why..."

"Hmm? He looks fine, so what's the problem?" Yukiko looked at Chie.

"Well... since last month, he looked a lot more serious than before. And did you realize about his face? It's full of scars..." said Chie. "And he stopped telling me his nasty jokes at night and only called for me for serious matters... isn't that sounds suspicious?"

"Really?" Yukiko frowned.

"It's like... he's changing into a new person, and... it bothers me much..." Chie looked at the clouds at the sky. "And he began to look at me with such a strange look..."

"Chie... do you like him?" Yukiko's question made the brunette woman startled.

"Wha- I mean, what?! Hey, it's still a million years earlier for me to fall on him!!" Chie was flustered. Yukiko giggled as she teased her friend.

"Just kidding..." said Yukiko with a grin.

"Geez..." sighed Chie.

Suddenly, Yukiko felt something weird in the air. She took out her fan from her jacket as she prepared herself for anything. Chie was surprised by her friend's sudden change of mood.

"Yukiko, what's going on?!" asked Chie, seemingly worried.

"Quiet..." said Yukiko. "Chie, did you hear some kind of weird voice all these days?" the black-haired woman asked Chie a question which made the brunette one startled. Then Chie nodded.

"I see... so, Ryoji-kun was right..." said Yukiko. "They're targeting you!!"

"Targeting me?!" exclaimed Chie. "What does that mean?"

"Chie!! Stay behind me!!" ordered Yukiko as she pulled the brunette woman to her back before she activated her invisible barrier. "Yata-no-Kagami!!"

As she activated the barrier, a flurry of arrows was flying towards them. The barrier managed to block the attack.

"Chie!! Use your ice spell and make a barrier around us!!" Yukiko looked behind to order Chie to create the ice wall.

"O-Okay!!" nodded Chie before she stood up properly, before kicking an appearing card, summoning her Persona, Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana to create the ice barrier around them.

"Not bad... that's what I've expected from the princesses..." then they heard a voice before they looked up, only to see a black-haired man in black leather suit, sitting on a back of an ethereal figure while holding a thick-covered tome with his hand.

"What?!" Yukiko was surprised. "A Persona?!"

"Let me introduce myself..." the man stood up on his Persona's back. "I am Moses the Envy, and this is my Persona, Levi-A-Than... I am a Serpent Tail..."

"Serpent Tail?" Chie looked at the man. "What does that mean?"

"It means anything for you... eighth..." said Moses. "Now, ready to taste the pain... Envy's Lightning..."

Levi-A-Than casted a ray of lighting towards Yukiko. The woman couldn't move her Yata-no-Kagami as the lightning was too fast, and it struck her.

"Ahh!!" shrieked Yukiko in pain. The lightning ray directly hit Yukiko's body and the woman fell onto the pavement.

"Yukiko!!" cried Chie. "Yukiko, are you alright?" she crouched to assist Yukiko.

"Urgh..." Yukiko tried to stand up. "I-I'm sorry... urgh!!" it seemed that the left part of her torso was injured by the strike.

"Oh, you're the first one who managed to live after being attacked by me... such a remarkable competent, Amagi Yukiko..." commented Moses.

Chie shouted at Moses. "Hey, what do you want?!"

"Nothing... it just happens that my master wants to get you, that's it..." answered Moses as he shrugged.

"Grrr... you beast!!! Suzuka Gongen!!" Chie summoned her Persona, Suzuka Gongen. The black-colored Persona floated in air before she swung her lightsaber-like naginata to Levi-A-Than. Before the attack could connect, another ethereal being appeared, blocking the attack with a single push.

"Looks awesome..." then, a woman with a cowboy hat came. "But, still not enough..."

The woman walked towards Chie. The ice barrier melted as she walked nearer to her. Then, she stood in front of the brunette woman.

"It's time to go, eighth maiden..." said the woman. Chie felt that her eyelids became heavier before they were completely shut. Then, she felt onto the ground.

"We're done..." said the woman.

"Good, Vineyard. Now, for her soul extraction..." Moses landed onto the ground as the woman, Vineyard picked the unconscious woman. After that, both Moses and Vineyard with unconscious Chie in her hand were surrounded by black shadows before they were engulfed by black cocoon.

Yukiko tried to stand up, but the injury she obtained made it difficult for her to move her limbs. Tears rolled on her cheeks as she saw her best friend, being taken by two strangers.

"C-Chie..." squeaked the woman. Then, she struggled to take her cell phone despite her injuries. She dialed someone for help.

"S-Souji-kun... help..."

~darkness~

As Gin crouched to give Fox and her children some foods, he felt something before he stood up.

"It's finally started..." muttered Gin. "I should inform the other Eaters as well..."

Contrary to common belief...

People eat snakes...

~darkness~

It's finally done. I hope this chapter is good. I love to receive reviews from dear readers. I have decided to let the rate stay for T. In the next chapter, I want to make Chie knows about the existence of Serpent Tail, as well as the Eaters. Expect a surprise there, okay? And in the later chapter, I'll show Souji's new power which he obtained from his kiss with Izanami. Also for Yosuke, I'll mention here that due to his training with Gin, he'll be given an extremely remarkable agility which allows him to jump from one electrical pole to another just like a ninja.

And also, I would like to put some information about the seniors in Serpent Eaters, as well as the four additions of the group to make sure that we can understand them.

Name: Gin, Susano-O-no-Okami

Age: Irrelevant

Info: Gin, also known as Susano-O-no-Okami, is the leader and founder of Serpent Eaters. While his true form is yet to be seen, he takes a form of a ragged old man with yellow raincoat and umbrella. He wears a pair of round black glasses, which cover his crimson eyes, a trademark for many Japanese gods. He is extremely skillful in martial arts, from ninjutsu to kenjutsu. His umbrella has katana blade inside it. For several hundreds of years, he became the instructor for Royal Knight who would protect the heiress, and taught them how to fight well. He considers every heiress at their time as 'Princess' and acts as a grandfatherly figure towards every of them. Despite his extremely laid back personality, he is considered as a dangerous subject for Serpent Tail.

Name: Daidara Houjou

Age: 60

Info: A blacksmith who was once a kenjutsu instructor, he is considered as second-in-command personnel in Serpent Eaters. He was once Gin's apprentice before being considered as a master. He possesses a vast knowledge in weaponry due to his past as a mercenary. During the last Serpent Requiem 25 years before the story, he became a kenjutsu instructor for many Serpent Eaters, including his daughter, Daidara Kagura. In the war, Kagura was killed by Sake, his own apprentice and one of Serpent Tail's adjutants. Daidara also lost his right eye and obtained his trademark cross-like scars. After Serpent Tail was finally defeated, he decided to move at Inaba, and opened a blacksmith and weaponry shop. Due to his sharpened swording skill, he can be considered as a formidable opponent for any Serpent Tail.

Name: Shirogane Misanori

Age: 55

Info: A famous private detective and the head of Shirogane Family, he is also a demon summoner. Unknown by most, Shirogane Family is one of four summoner clans in Kuzunoha Clan, which is considered as a 'darkest' family among the four. Shirogane is extremely intelligent due to his profession as a detective and is good in reasoning. Apart of that, he is also known within the organization with his ability to summon demons. As a part of Kuzunoha Clan, he is connected to imperial palace and is among those who are able to meet the emperor to take one of royal treasures, Yasakani-no-Magatama. Shirogane is a skillful warrior as he able to wield a katana and a gun at a same time. During the last Serpent Requiem, he lost his wife who was accidentally killed in the war. After the war ended, he decided to open a detective agency of his own. He refuses to tell his grandchild, Naoto, about their family's dark secret because he doesn't want to include her in demon's contract.

Name: Yakushiji

Age: 39

Info: Shirogane's assistant who always at Shirogane's side. He is a rather quiet man who wears black glasses. He was once a soldier in military and possesses an extensive knowledge in physical and mental warfare. He is a skillful warrior with extensive knowledge in kendo, kenjutsu, karate and judo, apart of being skillful in handling firearms. Yakushiji isn't his real name since he erased it after joining the Eaters. He possessed many aliases and he assumed the name 'Yakushiji' from his friend, who is also a fellow Eaters and soldier, who was killed in previous Serpent Requiem. While being skillful in various martial arts, he tends to use heavy firearms during battle like heavy machine gun and bazooka, much to Shirogane's dismay because it causes more damages. Despite being a member of Serpent Eaters, he acts like Shirogane's own assistant than an official member of the organization.

Name: Kurosawa Shingo

Age: 45

Info: A police officer at Tatsumi Port Island, he is considered as the 'brain' of the Eaters. While he is not really a battle-typed member of the organization, he acts as an intelligence collector who gathers useful information for the Eaters. Despite not fully included in battle, Kurosawa possesses extensive knowledge in martial arts and one of Daidara's apprentices. In the last Serpent Requiem, he lost his fiancée in an explosion, which was caused by Serpent Tail's Wrath. After the war, he was transferred at Tatsumi Port Island and helped SEES for weapon supplies during The Fall incident. He is Sanada Akihiko's mentor.

Name: Seta Souji

Age: 22

Info: A de-facto leader of Investigation Squad and a new member of Serpent Eaters, he is a Persona-user. Known for his calm demeanor, he possesses extensive knowledge in swording skills and kenjutsu. He is currently studying psychology at University of London. He possesses a miraculous ability to summon many Personas and is a holder of the Wild Card. Apart of his Persona ability, he also can transform himself into his Shadow self, a technique he learned at Yomi. In that form, he loses his humanity and fights with instinct instead of proper skills. Some apparent changes are his elongated gray hair, yellow eyes, metallic claws, transmogrification of his clothes and weapon, his voice's tone and ability to use many skills without using his Personas.

Name: Arisato Minato

Age: 24

Info: A martyr from The Fall incident, he is the living essence between humanity and Nyx, also known as the Great Seal. He is recently revived to the world along his former arch-nemesis, also his cheerful counterpart, Mochizuki Ryoji. He is a Persona-user who is able to summon multiple Personas, and the only one who is able to perform Fusion Spell on his own. He is rather quiet and calm, and likes to listen for music. It is known that his body is a replacement for his original body, which had undergone cremation. The body consists of Death essence as well as Shadow's blood, elements which can be found in Ryoji's blood. It gives him superhuman strength and abilities, some of them are useful as a few of them are useless (like the ability to sniff the smell accurately, much to Yukari's dismay). But due to the presence of Death essence in the body, his soul is slowly assimilated by it and he's slowly dying. Ryoji assumed that Minato only has a half of a year to live if he use his power in moderation. Using the high-leveled skills may accelerate his soul decaying process, which may lead him to his unavoidable death.

Name: Hanamura Yosuke

Age: 22

Info: A Persona-user from Investigation Squad, he is declared as the Royal Knight of the current heiress, Satonaka Chie. A little clumsy and acts as a comic relief in the story, he is given a task to protect the heiress from Serpent Tail. Despite his comical attitude, he has a strong sense of justice, and always puts his live on stake just to protect the people who are precious to him. He is skillful in ninjutsu after having an extensive training from Gin, to the point he can move in such wonderful agility. He is considered as 'jack-of-all-trade' due to his capability to perform support, full assault, healing and hand-to-hand combat. He is the son of Junes' manager and is nicknamed as 'Junes Kid' for that.

Name: Mochizuki Ryoji, Thanatos

Age: 24(by his appearance)

Info: He was once an arch-nemesis for SEES, he eventually becomes a worthy ally for both SEES and Investigation Squad. He is a god and is a personification of Death, Thanatos. He was once Minato's Persona before being Nyx Avatar. Due to his status, he possesses an extensive amount of archaic knowledge as well as the swording skill, which is the same like Minato. He has a laid-back and perverted personality, totally different than his counterpart, Minato. Despite of that, he is extremely caring for those who consider him as a part of him, especially Yukiko, who truly understands him.

I think, that's all... read and review.

Albireo Imma


	38. Princess Kushinada

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 38: Princess Kushinada

"Huh?!" Yukiko opened her eyes and found herself in a room, which she knew as Souji's hidden hideout. She was lying in a futon as Souji was sitting beside her.

"Thank goodness you're awake..." said Souji with a relieved expression.

"Souji-kun?" then Yukiko remembered what had happened. "Souji-kun! About Chie-oww!!" she grunted as she felt the pain on her torso.

"You should put yourself back for rest, Yukiko..." said Souji, pushing Yukiko back to the bed with his finger. "Your injuries were quite serious and it takes some hours to heal it..."

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko looked at the silverette with her teary eyes. "Chie... she's taken by them..."

"I know..." Souji nodded weakly as he spoke to his girlfriend guiltily. "If I go to her earlier, she won't be taken by them..."

Then, Minato and Ryoji entered the room.

"Amagi..." started Minato. "I'm sorry for what had happened... but I've tracked Satonaka's whereabout, so we will get her for sure this time..."

"Minato-san..." Yukiko looked at Minato. "Is that true... Chie is Kushinada's heiress? And about Serpent Tail and Serpent Eaters too? And also... about Serpent Requiem?"

Minato frowned, not expecting her to know such thing. Then, something came into his mind before he stared his cheerful counterpart, Ryoji.

"Ryoji..." said Minato, a little threatening. "How much you told her about these things already?"

Ryoji shrugged. "Well, I've told her almost everything... she's my apprentice after all. Furthermore... she has right to know about her best friend..." said Ryoji with a smirk.

Minato sighed. "Alright, alright... that should be fine though. Anyway, do you remember what happened that time?" asked Minato to Yukiko.

"Well... I had seen two people, a man and a woman... both of them used their Personas on us. And they said something about 'soul extraction'..." then Yukiko's eyes widened. "Wait?! Does that mean, they want to kill Chie?!"

"Kill won't suit the situation this time..." replied Ryoji. "Soul extraction is something like taking out the soul without damaging the body's internal system... it's rather a convenient method to perform a 'sacrifice'..."

"And... that wasn't good at all..." commented Souji.

"But, luckily... the soul extraction can only be performed in midnight. We should have about..." Minato looked on his watch. "Five hours left..."

Yukiko tried to get up. "Then we should hurry!! Chie's in danger-ahh!!" the pain struck her wound again. Souji helped her to get her back in the futon.

"Don't worry..." said Souji reassuringly. "We will get her back... I promise..."

"Seta... you and Hanamura will go to that place..." said Minato. "And for me and Ryoji, we will provide support from behind and will contact for other Eaters, get that?"

"I understand..." nodded Souji.

"Souji-kun... please be careful..." said Yukiko. "They're strong..."

"I'll do just that, Yukiko..." replied Souji with a smile.

~darkness~

Both Souji and Yosuke were outside an abandoned warehouse. It was almost midnight, when the 'soul extraction' process would begin. Souji unsheathed his Tamayorihime as Yosuke took out his Malakh.

"They're inside, Yosuke..." said Souji.

"I know..." nodded Yosuke. "Dammit, they're one step forward than us..."

"It can't be helped after all..." shrugged Souji before he walked to the entrance and tried to open it. But, the door was locked from inside.

"It's locked..." Souji examined the door. "But I can easily destroy the door..."

"Lemme handle it..." Yosuke clenched his fist. "I'll make anything on my path..." he walked towards the door and stood in front of it. He raised his fist before he punched the door. "Even a lifeless door, perished!!"

Yosuke's punch was too powerful to the point the door was ripped apart by his strength. Yosuke walked into the warehouse through the damaged door. Souji sighed before he followed the brunette man.

As they walked into the abandoned warehouse, they heard a voice.

"I'm expecting all of you here... Eaters..."

Souji and Yosuke looked up and saw a pink-haired man, dressed in black kimono. He was sitting on a pile of abandoned equipments. The man smiled smugly as he drank a bottle of sake.

"He's Sloth... Sake..." said Souji.

Sake jumped down from the top and landed in front of Souji and Yosuke. Sake took out a pair of unadorned katanas. "It's almost midnight, and outsiders aren't allowed to enter this place for this time..."

"Really?" Souji smirked. "So, please entertain me well, can you?" he assumed his swording stance, much to Sake's amusement.

"So, you want to fight, huh?" Sake also prepared his stance.

"Souji! What about Chie?" asked Yosuke.

"You should go without me, Yosuke..." Souji took a glance to his friend. "You're her Knight after all..."

"Souji..." Yosuke stared on Souji. Then he leaped forward before saying. "Don't die, okay?"

Sake realized Yosuke's plan before he stepped forward to block him to reach the sacrificial place. "Oh, you can't go anywhere..."

"Ziodyne!!"

Sake took a step behind to dodge a sudden attack of an electrical ray, before he saw Izanagi-no-Okami on top of Souji. Yosuke took this chance to go forward.

"Oh... so, you're that so-called Seta Souji, correct?" asked Sake with a grin.

"That's my name..." nodded Souji. After Yosuke's figure couldn't be seen anymore, he raised his sword before he spoke. "Then, I'll not hold myself for this..." he closed his eyes before opened it, revealing a pair of yellow eyes.

**"I'll show you my true strength, my true self!!"** his tone changed as purple aura could be seen from his body. His jacket and sword transmogrified into a longcoat and Amenonuhoko respectively as his gray hair grew longer.

"Oh... is that a Shadow form? Well... this is fascinating..." commented Sake.

**"I am a Shadow, the true self... I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends, even by mean of killing you!!"** Souji dashed forward, attacking Sake. The pink-haired man parried the attack, producing an explosion.

Two beasts were fighting each other...

~darkness~

Yosuke was startled as he heard an explosion behind him. But he continued to run towards the centre of the warehouse. Finally, he managed to reach the centre before he saw three strangers, and Chie, who was slumped weakly on the floor which had some kind of runic circlet on it.

"Chie!!" shouted Yosuke.

Chie raised her head and saw Yosuke. "Y-Yosuke?"

A man, Moses looked at Yosuke before he spoke. "Oh, look what we have here... isn't that Hanamura Yosuke the Royal Knight?"

Vineyard looked to the newcomer. "My... he's younger than I've expected..."

"Hey kid... are you coming for your Hime-sama?" asked Solomon mockingly.

"S-Shut up!!" bellowed Yosuke. "J-Just give her back!! She's not yours to be sacrificed!!"

"Really?" Moses chuckled. "In that case, have you heard about the tale of Princess Kushinada? Actually, she already agreed to be sacrificed as the eighth maiden in order to to protect her people, before Susano-O came and rescued her..." he walked to Chie's side and pulled her forcefully so she could stand. "So, she's ours to be taken as our master's bride..."

"W-What? Don't kid me around, jerks!!" shouted Yosuke. "I'll crush all of you, Susano-O!!" he summomed Susano-O of the Magician Arcana. The Persona grabbed his massive shuriken before throwing it towards Moses.

"Urgh!!" Moses withstood the attack with his hands. "Vineyard!!"

The woman nodded in acknowledgement before taking out her guns. She fired several shots towards Yosuke. With such agility, Yosuke dodged every shot and managed to block some of them by using his metallic daggers.

"Asmodeus!!" Vineyard summoned Asmodeus and the Persona attacked Yosuke with massive fire spell. Yosuke jumped behind before he took out several kunais.

"Eat this!!" he threw all of the kunais towards Vineyard. The woman seemingly surprised, not expecting that type of attack from Yosuke. She stepped behind and fired every single of the kunais by using her guns.

"I'm not done yet, gaaah!!" Yosuke summoned his Persona and casted a massive wind spell. But the spell was interrupted as some hands emerged from the floor, clutching Yosuke's limbs.

"What the?" Yosuke was surprised by the hands. He tried to free himself, but it was an unsuccessful attempt to be done.

"Well... that's all for today, Yosuke..." commented Moses. "You'll be there for a while before we perform the 'soul extraction'... and it's already midnight..."

Moses, Solomon and Vineyard gathered around Chie and they spoke something which Yosuke couldn't understand. Then, the circlet under Chie was glowing with a crimson glow before Chie shrieked in pain.

"Ahhh!!" the brunette woman seemed in pain as the process of 'soul extraction' was made.

"C-Chie!!" Yosuke tried to release himself from the clutching hands, but to no avail.

"Y-Yosuke!! Help me!!" cried Chie painfully.

"Chie!!"

"Help me!!"

Her voice echoed within Yosuke's mind before a voice rang within his head. Yosuke's eyes widened before their color shifted from dull brown into shiny blue.

"Gaaaah!!" suddenly some kind of light poured out from Yosuke's body before the hands released their clutches. Yosuke took this chance to cut every hand before dashing forward to Chie.

"What?" Moses was surprised as Yosuke managed to release himself.

"Get lost, you punks!!" shouted Yosuke before he released some kind of energy towards the three adjutants. All of them were sent behind. Thus, the process of 'soul extraction' was halted.

Yosuke took Chie's hand, pulling her out from the circlet. Then, he spoke with somehow strange tone.

"I am under your command, Hime-sama..." said Yosuke to Chie.

"Huh?" Chie seemed confused.

Then, Yosuke's eyes reverted back to normal. "Chie, we should get out of here, now!!"

"O-Okay!!" nodded Chie.

"Hey, you two won't go anywhere!!" shouted Solomon.

Without any warning, Yosuke lifted Chie, much to her surprise, and cradled her. He threw one of his kunais towards a window, breaking it. Then he jumped out from the window with Chie in his hands.

Solomon just stared onto the window. "Shit... they've escaped..." then, he jumped out from the window as well.

"Solomon!!" shouted Vineyard.

"Just let him be..." said Moses.

~darkness~

"Yosuke!! Wait-kyaah!! I say, stop-waaah!!"

Yosuke was jumping from an electrical pole to another with Chie in his hands. They were currently at Samegawa.

"Shut up, okay?" ordered Yosuke as he continued to jump.

Suddenly, a massive chained iron ball was flying towards them, hitting Yosuke's back.

"Gaak!!"

The hit was hard and both of them fell onto the ground. Yosuke instinctively spun himself to cushion Chie's fall.

"Oww!!"

Chie was on top of Yosuke as both of them fell onto the ground.

"Yosuke... are you alright?" asked Chie.

"I-I'm alright..." replied Yosuke. He tried to get up before he grunted. "Oww!! My back!!"

"Yosuke..." Chie looked at the man.

Suddenly, Yosuke felt a killing force was intended to them before he summoned Susano-O to block a massive iron ball.

"Oh my... you're quite sharp than I thought. No wonder why Susano-O selected you as the Knight..." commented a man, Solomon.

"Ergh... son of a bitch..." Yosuke stood up despite the pain he obtained. "I'll kill you!!"

"Really?! Then, how about that?" Solomon pointed to Chie's direction.

"Yosuke!!"

Yosuke looked behind and was shocked by seeing a massive snake, staring at Chie with such scary eyes. Chie slumped on the ground, utterly frightened by the snake's presence.

"Chie!!" Yosuke tried to get Chie, but Solomon summoned some other massive snakes. There were dozens of them and they intended to attack Yosuke.

"Dammit!!" Yosuke cursed himself for his carelessness.

"Yosuke!! Watch out!!" shouted Chie as one of the giant snakes attacked Yosuke.

Zap!!

Instead of being bitten, the snake was beheaded by a new figure, a figure which was armed with a pair of kanatas.

"Hanamura... leave these to us..."

Yosuke recognized the voice, which was owned by Daidara. Then, another snake attacked him, before a bullet struck the serpent's head. The snake shrieked in agony before it fell onto the ground and died.

"That was close..." a middle-aged man with a gun and a katana emerged from the shadow. That was Shirogane. Beside him was Yakushiji, holding a bazooka.

"Yakushiji..." said Shirogane. "Kill them..."

The man with black glasses nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood..." he aimed his bazooka towards a horde of the snakes and fired it. An explosion occurred and the snakes were decimated.

"I hope you won't cause any damage, Yakushiji..." commented Shirogane with a sigh.

"Yosuke, are you alright?" then, Gin came to Yosuke's side.

"I'm alright..." nodded Yosuke. Then he saw a giant snake, which intended to attack Gin. "Gin-sensei, watch out!!"

Instinctively, Gin pulled out a blade from his umbrella and cut the serpent's head.

"What a weakling..." commented Gin.

After that, Minato came and summoned Orpheus, cleaving any snake in his path. "It's been a while since I go out for killing..."

Then, Ryoji, with his silver sword in his hand, cutting any snake which intended to escape their unavoidable demise. "That's good for you, Minato..." commented Ryoji.

Solomon was surprised as all of his snakes were killed by the Serpent Eaters. Quickly, he escaped.

"Wait!!" Yosuke tried to pursue the adjutant but Gin halted him to do so.

"Yosuke..." Chie spoke to Yosuke. "What was happening exactly?"

All the senior members of Serpent Eaters looked at Chie.

"So... she's the one, right?" asked Yakushiji.

"Yeah, she's Satonaka Chie..." nodded Shirogane.

Unexpectedly, the senior members including Gin, knelt to the woman, like the knights would do to their lord. Ryoji and Minato knelt to her as well.

"We are under your command, Hime-sama..." said Gin.

"Wha-What's going on? What're you doing?" then she looked at Yosuke, who didn't kneel. "Yosuke, what's going on here?"

Yosuke grunted before he threw his weapon aside and walked towards Chie. Then, he knelt to her.

"I am Hanamura Yosuke, your Royal Knight..." declared Yosuke. "I am under your command, Satonaka Chie Hime-sama..."

~darkness~

Souji and Sake were exchanging slashes and parries. Then, Souji realized their task had been completed. He took some steps behind and took a defensive stance.

**"It seems that we managed to rescue the princess... my task is completed..."** said Souji.

"Hah? Don't joke with me around, will you?" Sake dashed forward to Souji.

**"Then, try and catch me..."** suddenly, Souji was surrounded by fog. **"In the fog..."**

"What?!" Sake couldn't see where Souji was.

**"Haha... it seems that you're not able to see, even a bit in this Fog of Confusion..."** said Souji. **"Well then... farewell..."**

As for that, the fog subsided. Souji was nowhere to be found.

"Shit!!" cursed Sake.

~darkness~

Finally, it has been completed, a chapter which is full with action. For Souji, I've shown him with the power of Fog of Confusion, the power which is associated with Izanami and Ameno Sagiri. And for Yosuke, he's able to jump like a ninja. Well, I hope people may like this chapter. As usual, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	39. Veritas

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 39: Veritas

The brunette woman ran through the night without looking anywhere but forward. She couldn't count how many times she fell onto the pavement, thus leaving her some scratches and bruises on her face and body. She left the group of people who announced themselves as Serpent Eaters as they claimed that she is their Hime-sama, their princess.

"This can't be happening..." uttered Chie as she continued to run towards the direction of her home. "This is just a dream, no, a nightmare!!" she decided to not look anywhere as she shut her teary eyes.

Then, she arrived in front of her house. She desperately knocked the door. "Mom!! Mom!! Open the door!!"

The door was opened by an older woman and she seemed agitated as she saw her daughter, completely rattled and exhausted, and seemingly scared. "Chie, what's going on? What happened to you? And do you know what time it is?"

"Mom!!" the younger woman hugged her mother, much to the older Satonaka's surprise. "Tell me that I'm just dreaming!!"

"You are not dreaming, Satonaka Chie..."

Both Satonakas were surprised by the voice. Chie looked behind and saw Gin and Yosuke were already behind her. It seemed that both of them had followed her along the way.

"You?" the older Satonaka looked at Gin.

"Long time no see... Princess Yurie..." greeted Gin before he knelt to the older woman. "It's already 25 years since our last meeting..."

Yurie looked at the kneeling old man before tears came out from her eyes. Then she sobbed before she crouched. "O-Oji-san...."

"Oji-san?" Chie was surprised.

"You've grown to be a fine woman, Yurie..." commented Gin. "Then, you should give your great-great-great-great grandfather a warm hug..."

The older Satonaka nodded as she wiped her tears before she embraced the old man.

"It's good to see you again, Oji-san..." said Yurie, releasing her hug. "Hiroshi might be happy to see you again..."

Gin laughed before he spoke. "I bet..."

"Mom..." Chie pulled her mother's sleeve. "Tell me what's going on... I'm totally confused now..."

Yurie stared her daughter's face before she looked at Gin, and then Yosuke. After that, she spoke to Gin. "So, I wasn't wrong at all... the Requiem has started once again, and this time, they're targetting Chie..."

"You're right, Yurie..." nodded Gin.

After that, a man came out from the house. "Hey, what's up with this commotion? You might have disturbed the neighbors, eh?" he saw Gin. "You..."

"It's been a while, Hiroshi..." said Gin.

"Gin-sensei!!" exclaimed the man, who is Chie's father. He knelt to the old man with respect. "I am absolutely honored to see you again, Gin-sensei!!"

"Dad!!" this time, Chie received another wave of surprise. "Not you too?!!"

"Not to spoil the moment, but I afraid Chie here wants an explanation for anything..." said Yosuke. "And... For me... I need some treatment... ergh..." then, he fell onto the pavement.

"Yosuke!!" cried Chie.

"Oh my... it seems that he's injured from the battle. We need to treat him..." said Gin.

"He is Hanamura, right?" asked Hiroshi. "That Junes boy? He is..." before he could finish his sentence, Gin cut in.

"He is Satonaka 'Kushinada' Chie's Royal Knight..." said Gin, lifting the brunette man before he entered the house.

~darkness~

"It seems that he's gonna be okay for now..." said Yurie as he put a towel which had been soaked in warm water onto Yosuke's forehead. "I never thought someone like him is able to do such stunt like jumping from one pole to another..."

Yosuke was still unconscious as Yurie applied antiseptic on his bruised face. His clothes had been taken off, revealing his body which full with scars.

"Oh... so, you've already started your hellish training regime on him, right?" Yurie asked Gin about the scars. "Looking on his scars, I'm sure you've put him under a same condition as Hiroshi..."

"I give him much harder than Hiroshi though, since I taught him ninjutsu instead of kenjutsu..." said Gin, who was sitting on the couch. "I've brought him to Mount of Yasogami to fight bears, climbing the cliff, sitting under waterfall, swimming in river for almost 48 hours, doing a million push-ups while I'm sitting on his back, hanging him upside down on tree, climbing tree with both his hands tied and such..."

"Haha, I bet you're just doing it for fun..." Yurie snickered. "Especially about hanging him upside down. Hiroshi told me that you're just doing that to have fun..."

"Hmm... maybe..." Gin shrugged. Then, Chie came to the living room as her face seemed refreshed, maybe because she took a shower. She took a glance to the partially-naked Yosuke before she looked at another direction.

"Chie... come here. We still have something to tell you..." asked Yurie. Chie nodded weakly before she sat beside her mother.

"Alright... before we begin, do you still remember when you were kidnapped by them?" asked Gin.

"Well... they say something about princess and stuff... and saying about Serpent Requiem..." answered Chie. "So, what's up with that?"

Gin sighed. "Listen, Chie... you are what they're searching for. You are the eighth maiden, the one who possesses the extremely rare Royal Blood and you are a descendant of Princess Kushinada..." explained Gin. "And Yosuke... he is your guardian, your knight who will put his life on the line to safeguard you from Yamata-no-Orochi, the great Serpent, the leader of Serpent Tail..."

"Princess? Knight? I mean, how could I... be a princess?" asked Chie.

"Because... your mother once was the princess..." Gin gestured to the older Satonaka. "For your information, your mother's maiden name is Kushinada Yurie, Kushinada's heiress before you..."

Chie looked at her mother with disbelief. She struggled to believe what Gin had told her.

"That's why... you should be careful..." said Gin. "Ah, do you want to see the picture of the older Serpent Eaters?" he took out an old photo of a group of people. He handed the photo to the younger Satonaka.

"This..." she looked on a person in the photo, who was her mother. She dressed in kimono as she sat on a chair. Beside her was her father, Hiroshi, and Gin.

"Oh, this seems nostalgic. Ah, this is Kagura, Daidara-san's daughter..." Yurie pointed on a a girl who was sitting beside her. "Too bad she was killed in the war... she's my best friend there. And..." she pointed at another one. "This is Shirogane-san... he looked awesome when he was young, but sadly his wife was murdered in the war..."

"Do you remember this one?" asked Gin as he pointed at a black-haired man with eyepatch.

"He's... Kirijo-san, Kirijo Takeharu... he's the supplier for Serpent Eaters..." said Yurie.

"Kirijo?" Chie looked at her mother. "He's Mitsuru-san's father?" Yurie nodded.

"Too bad he died because of an illness... he's a little quiet, but he could be sweet sometimes..." said Yurie with a smile. "Ah, this is your uncle, Arashi... but you never knew him because he died in the war..." she pointed at a man who resembled her husband.

"Mom... they died, right?" asked Chie. "So... are these Serpent Tail people that strong?"

Yurie couldn't answer it.

"Mom..." Chie looked at her mother's face. "I mean... I'm sorry..."

Yurie smiled before she patted her daughter's head. "That's okay, sweetie... anyway, do you want to know more about us?"

"Yes... I want to know why they're targeting me!" answered Chie ethusiastically.

Yurie sighed before she began. "Before that, we should begin with our family, Kushinada Clan... In ancient time, Kushinada Clan is an elusive clan which is a Royal Family, and a Clan which ruled Japan... but, as feudal era reigned, our clan was casted away by Shogunate, so, the clan seek help from Kuzunoha Clan..."

"Kuzu... noha?" Chie frowned as she found something familiar with the name.

"Then, the members of the clan were under Kuzunoha's care until Meiji's restoration. Kushinadas were allowed to step again into the royal palace and ruled from the shadows. In Showa era, the clan was forced to quit from the palace in order to make our clan more elusive than ever, so Serpent Tail won't be able to track for the eight maiden... that's why, during Meiji's restoration, the Emporer declared to enter World War II in order to cover the Serpent Requiem from the world..." explained the former heiress.

"That... was hard than ever..." the young brunette scratched her head.

"To make it short, you are a part of Royal family..." added Gin.

"Oh, I get it now..." nodded Chie.

"And because of the Royal blood's selective traits, only one maiden will be chosen among the family members... and you are the current heiress of Kushinada, the one who possesses the Royal blood, the eighth maiden..."

Thus, the truth was finally unraveled.

~darkness~

Next day...

Minato and Souji were waiting for someone at Tatsuhime Shrine. Some time earlier, Minato received a phone call from Shirogane, or Naoto's grandfather.

"I wonder what will happen now..." said Souji.

"We should wait for the consequence... the massive war will occur anytime..." said Minato.

Then, a limosine came and Shirogane with Yakushiji came out from the luxurious car. Both of them entered the shrine's ground.

"Good to see you here, Arisato, Seta..." said Shirogane.

"So, what's the real cause for calling me here?" asked Minato.

"Actually, it's rather private... and it's more likely about you..." Shirogane stared Minato's bluish gray eyes. Minato frowned before he nodded.

"I see... it seems that's important..." said Minato. "First of all, this is the first time we have this talk after these years..."

"These years?" Souji was surprised. "Have you met before?"

"It's more complicated than that, Seta..." Minato smirked. "So, what's up... Grandfather?" he looked straight to Shirogane's eyes. "Did it have something to do with my younger sister?"

"Grandfather? Younger sister?" this time, Souji was totally surprised.

"You've started to act like your father, Minato..." commented Shirogane. "Don't worry, Naoto still doesn't know about you as her brother..."

"Minato-san!! What's the meaning of these?" asked Souji.

Minato sighed. "It seems that... Naoto is my..." he closed his eyes. "...biological sibling, my younger sister... anyway, when the first time I saw her after my revival, I'm glad that she has grown up well without our parents and me..."

"Wait! Your parents died in an accident... so do Naoto... and, you're saying she's your sister?" asked Souji.

"Well, that's a fact so far..." Minato shrugged. "It's getting more complicated than I've thought... with the addition of my depleting health, it's getting tougher than it looks..."

"The real thing is... do you know that Shirogane Clan is a demon-summoner's clan?" asked Shirogane.

"I'm totally aware of that, Grandfather..." answered Minato.

"Good... it seems that Shirogane's bloodline as demon summoner will end with me..." said Shirogane. "I just want you to know since... you're also a part of Shirogane, and a part of Kuzunoha..."

"I appreciate it, but should I take that from someone who abandoned me after our parents were killed in an incident?" asked Minato. "After taking Naoto, instead of taking me along, you let me being taken by other relatives. That's such a disgraceful action to be done..."

Shirogane was taken aback. "I... I'm sorry, Minato... the clan doesn't allow someone like you, who was almost dead in a life-taking incident, to be in the clan... Naoto was with me at that time, so I was just able to take Naoto and I was forced to abandon you..." said Shirogane with such a sorrowful tone.

"So, the rule is more important than your feeling?" asked Minato. "Is that what you mean?"

"It can't be helped, Minato... but, I never forgot to watch you from afar... and your death was the saddest moment I have in my life. So..." Shirogane knelt. "Please forgive me... my grandson..."

"You won't need my forgiveness, Grandfather..." said Minato coldly.

"Minato-san!!" Souji was surprised by Minato's unexpected reply.

"Because... I am your grandson..." Minato crouched. "And you are my father's father and my sisters' grandfather... how should you ask for my forgiveness?"

"Minato..."

"I swear... I'll protect Naoto..." said Minato. "She's the only sibling I have after losing my fraternal twin in that incident..."

~darkness~

"I beg for your forgiveness, master... somehow, they managed to take the eighth maiden from us before the process of soul extraction could be finished, what a disgraceful display we had done..." reported Moses guiltily to their master, which happened to be trapped in a mirror.

_To make long story short, you've failed your mission, am I wrong?_

"W-We totally regret it!!" said Vineyard. "Please forgive us, master..."

Takaya who was leaning on the wall just chuckled. "And you three still claim yourselves as the 'adjutants'? Hehe... what a joke..."

"Mind your words, Takaya!!" bellowed Solomon angrily.

_My children... there's no need to regret such trivialities... despite the failure, our mission to call forth the 'Requeim' remains unscathed..._

"I understand it, master..." nodded Moses.

"Understood..." Vineyard took her cowboy hat and nodded.

Meanwhile, Sake was drinking a bottle of liquor before he realized someone's presence. Quickly he drew out his katanas and looked at the person who owned the presence, only to learn that the person was Charles.

"Sake... you look bad? What happened that time?" asked Charles.

Sake sighed before he sheathed back his swords before he tossed his bottle of sake. "Seta Souji... I found that he is one of our dangerous subjects apart of Hanamura Yosuke and Susano-O. It was an unusual surprise to see someone who could control his inner self and could manifest it into something more complex besides calling forth that so-called Persona..."

"Shadow form..." said Charles. "Some people can turn themselves into their Shadow form and allow their inner self to control their action..."

"Is that so?" Sake frowned. "Well... I found him rather interesting though. It's been a while since I had fought a formidable foe besides Teacher Daidara and Kagura..."

~darkness~

"Thank you, Sui-chan..." thanked Rise to Sui as the turquoise-haired girl helped her to pick some flowers. "They're beautiful. I bet my room will become prettier if I put some of these into it..."

"That would be a brilliant idea, Kujikawa-sama..." nodded Sui with a smile.

"Anyway, where's Raiga? I haven't seen him all these days..." asked the red-haired idol.

"I afraid he is sent by Tsukuyomi-sama to observe the activities of your friends and Serpent Tail..." replied Sui.

"Is that so?" Rise tilted her head. "Hey, Sui-chan... do you like ice-cream?"

"I-Ice-cream?" one of Sui's eyebrows raised. "Well... I never tasted it before... is it good?"

Rise stood up happily. "You know, once you taste it, you'll find something irresistable within yourself to taste it once more!! Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, added with some sprinkles... yummy!!"

"Uhh..." Sui's yellow eyes turned blue. "I-It... sounds delicious..." she began to drool.

"See?! You've started to drool once I said it, haha..." Rise wrapped her arms around Sui's neck, much to the turquoise-haired girl surprise.

"I-I'm not!!" protested Sui, frantically wiped her drool.

"Or... maybe you would like to have milk flavor, since Raiga told me you love milk very much..." teased Rise once again.

"Kujikawa-sama!! Stop picking on me!!"

Rise laughed heartily as Sui pouted. Without their notice, Kazematsuri was outside the room.

_I can't believe someone like her could be one of us... and she is a human..._

"Tch!!" grunted the pink-haired woman irritably.

_I'll do what it takes to remove her from such a comfort... I'll show you that humans and Shadows won't suit each other..._

Thus, Kazmatsuri left the place. Without her notice, Raiga was there all the time. He came out from the shadow as he looked at Kazematsuri, who was leaving the place.

"Sigh... that's why I don't like being a bad guy..." sighed Raiga.

~darkness~

Chapter 39 finally done! For those who don't know what Veritas actually means, it is a Latin word or phrase which literally means 'truth'. It suits the story, right? In this chapter, Chie finally found out her status as a princess. I've put some historical events like Meiji's restoration and World War II. As for Minato, I put him as Naoto's biological brother, thus making him a 'Shirogane' as well as 'Kuzunoha'. In this story, Minato has two younger sisters, and one of the sisters is his fraternal twin, who died in the accident. As for that, I put a small hint of Persona 3 Portable, but I won't put the Mshe character in this story, because she was dead during the accident. In the accident, Minato was 7, while Naoto was 4. Their parents were dead because of accident, so I put that both of them are siblings. The reason why Naoto was taken by her grandfather is because during the accident, she was with him as Minato was taken by other relatives because of the clan's taboo. I hope people will like this story despite its crappiness. Last but not least, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	40. Two Souls Become One

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 40: Two Souls Become One

The brunette man opened his eyes before he found himself on a couch. He rubbed his eyes before realizing that he was partially naked as he only had his trousers on him. As he tried to get up, he felt a sudden pain on his back, making him grunted.

"Oww!!" grunted Yosuke. Then, he looked around and he was sure that he wasn't in his house.

"Oh, Hanamura-kun, good morning..." then, a woman with long brunette hair, might probably the mature version of Chie, came with a mug of hot drink. She flashed a dazzling smile to the younger man. "It seems that you're alright..."

"You're... Chie's mother..." said Yosuke, staring on the woman's face.

"I would be glad if you just call me 'Yurie'..." said the woman.

"Oh, okay..." nodded Yosuke. He received the hot drink from Yurie. "Anyway, thanks for treating me..."

"No." Yurie shook her head. "I should thank you for saving my daughter, Chie. How should I repay for your noble act, Hanamura-kun?"

"Err... it's nothing..." Yosuke scratched his head. "It's my task as her guardian, right?"

"Then, thank you again, Hanamura-kun. I assumed that you'll protect her, just like the previous guardians did for their princesses..." Yurie looked at Yosuke with such kind eyes. "Chie might be strong, but deep inside; she's gentle and soft, and a crybaby too... I hope you'll endure such task for guarding such a troublesome lady like her..."

"Well... it's not like I don't know her..." Yosuke lowered his gaze. "She's also my friend. I'll do anything if it comes to protect my friends..."

Yurie patted the brunette man's shoulder. "Sounds like you'll be a great man, Hanamura-kun... then, I can leave her to you..." after that, the woman stood up and turned to the kitchen. "You should take a good bath today, you smell like those fish we can get from Samegawa River... I've prepared some spare clothes." Yurie gestured to a basket of clothes. "Those are my husband's, so forgive me if those clothes are too big for you..."

"Meh, that's okay..." shrugged Yosuke. As for that, Yurie walked into the kitchen, leaving Yosuke alone in the living room. Yosuke took a towel from the basket and went to the direction of the bathroom, without noticing an impending doom had been written in his book of fate by merciless goddesses of fate. Well, it might sound exaggerating, but someone should check the bathroom whether it's occupied or not before entering it.

~darkness~

Chie was showering herself in the bathroom. She wanted to completely wash the dirts she got last night, when she was kidnapped by those people who claimed themselves as Serpent Tail. She let the water flowed on the surface of her skin before she put her hands on the wall and sighed.

"So, that explains the weird voice I heard sometime ago..." muttered Chie. "And... They're targeting me?"

Chie sighed. Something like this was hard for her to understand, thanks for her tendency to solve anything with a kick than a head. Then, she remembered when Yosuke was attacked by one of Serpent Tail's members when he was saving her.

"I've put many people in trouble..." muttered Chie again.

Then, she heard someone opened the sliding door of the bathroom. At first, she thought that was her mother, so she didn't mind it.

"Eh?"

Chie's eyes widened as she heard that familiar sound. Quickly, she looked behind as saw Yosuke, only with a towel on him, standing frozenly as he stared on Chie's naked body. Chie was petrified as she looked at Yosuke.

"Oh... sorry..." Yosuke took some steps aback after regaining his composure. As he finally stepped out from the bathroom, he closed the door and walked slowly, away from the bathroom.

"Yo-su-ke..."

Yosuke wondered if God really hates him or He finds it amusing to put some hardships for a certain mortal named Hanamura Yosuke by putting him in a rather complicated situation. As Yosuke heard that surprisingly cold voice which was owned by a certain 'no-no' part's killer, Satonaka Chie, he nervously turned behind before he looked at a certain brunette woman, who already put on her towel.

"Have mercy, please?" pleaded Yosuke.

As the plea remained ignored, the cornered man expected the worst as the enraged lady prepared to sentence an 'execution' for him.

And the outcome of the sentence was a critical hit to the nads.

~darkness~

Yurie laughed heartily as she listened what's going on at the bathroom. Her daughter, Chie couldn't help but to be terribly blushed as she occasionally shot the brunette man beside her a dirty look. Both of them were sitting on a couch opposite to Yurie.

"Urgh... it's even painful than before..." grunted Yosuke, still terribly traumatized by the 'heavenly' punishment by Chie.

"Of course it is! That's for seeing my naked body!!" shouted Chie to Yosuke angrily.

"My, my... both of you are closer than I thought..." commented Yurie with an amused smile. "It can't be helped if Hanamura-kun saw your naked body, Chie. It'll help both of you a lot after you're married..."

Both brunette-headed man and woman yelled in unison. "That won't happen!!"

"Hohoho... you two are cute if you are together..." teased Yurie again, ignoring their denial.

"Mom!! Stop it!!" pleaded Chie.

Then, the doorbell rang. Yurie stood up and went to the door. She opened the door to find Yukiko and his boyfriend.

"Good morning, Satonaka-san..." Yukiko bowed politely to the older woman.

"Ah, it's so good to see you here, Yukiko-chan..." replied Yurie after she bowed to Yukiko. Then she looked at the silverette who was standing beside Yukiko. "Oh, is this your boyfriend?"

Yukiko blushed. "Y-Yeah..." she nodded timidly.

"It's good to see you, Satonaka-san... I am Seta Souji, nice to meet you..." said Souji.

"I've heard about you from Chie before..." Yurie smiled. "Please make yourself at home..."

Both Yukiko and Souji entered the house and found Yosuke and Chie. Yukiko went towards Chie. "Chie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine... thanks..." nodded Chie. "How about you, Yukiko? You seemed to be badly injured yesterday..."

"Don't mind it..." Yukiko shook her head. Then, she felt a slight pain on her torso. "Oww!!"

"Yukiko, don't force yourself..." said Souji softly.

Yukiko sat beside Yurie as Souji sat beside Yosuke. Then, Yurie spoke. "So, Yukiko-chan, have you known about the matter?" she asked the younger woman beside her. Yukiko nodded.

"Alright... let us make it clear now. For now on, Chie is the primary target for Serpent Tail, so the Serpent Eaters should protect her by any mean from being taken again by those from Serpent Tail..." said Yurie. "Sadly, I'm not a part of the Eaters anymore, so do Hiroshi... so, we can't help much..."

"We'll protect her, Satonaka-san... I promise..." said Souji reassuringly.

"Yeah! You've my words too!!" nodded Yosuke.

"I've expected to hear those words from you two..." said Yurie.

Chie stared at Yosuke with a dirty look. "Hmph, big talk from someone who is a pervert..."

"Pervert?" Yukiko looked at Yosuke. "What've you done to Chie, Yosuke-kun?" asked Yukiko to Yosuke with somehow innocent yet frightening tone.

"Hey, don't make me sounds like a pervert, will you!! It's an accident, get it?!" said Yosuke. "Listen, Yukiko... the thing that had happened has nothing to do for me being pervert or not..."

"Yeah right..." Chie shrugged. "You should check whether the bathroom is occupied or not before you can enter it..."

"Oh..." then Yukiko looked at Yosuke with venomous glance. "So, you see her naked, right? Such a disgraceful feature from a man like you, Yosuke-kun... it makes me tempted to burn you into ashes..." Yukiko smiled evilly as she took out her fan.

Yosuke was taken aback as he saw Yukiko's evil smile. Then, the smile reverted back into its innocent form.

"Just kidding... anyway, that's bad, Yosuke-kun... you shouldn't do it again, okay?" said Yukiko, keeping the fan back.

"Who taught you to do like that, Yukiko? You look scary..." asked Chie.

Souji sighed. "I bet she learned that from Ryoji-san... I wonder how many inappropriate things he had put into Yukiko's innocent head..."

Yurie chuckled. "Oh, that's so sweet, Yukiko-chan. Somehow, I'm so curious about your opinion if Hanamura-kun and Chie are married..."

"Yurie-san!!" Yosuke was startled.

"Mom!! Don't say such thing!!" Chie seemed to be flustered.

Yukiko seemed to be thinking before she said. "It would be great, Satonaka-san... I would be happy if Yosuke-kun becomes Chie's husband..." her answer made both Yosuke and Chie totally petrified.

"Even though Yosuke-kun is such a jerk..." then the word pierced Yosuke's poor heart. "...and also a worst pervert..." another word came and made its second strike onto Yosuke's already wounded heart. "...but, he's a good guy. I'm sure Chie will be okay if he's becoming her wife..."

"Yukiko..." said Yosuke weakly. "You're slowly killing me here..."

"And... how about you, Souji-kun?" asked Yukiko to her boyfriend.

"Hmm..." mused Souji before he spoke. "I think it would be a good idea..." the word made both Yosuke and Chie petrified again like being flashed by the eyes of Medusa.

"Yosuke could be useless sometimes... and he can be a total idiot too..." this time, it's Souji's turn to slowly kill Yosuke's already severed heart. "But, he has a golden heart, and a very good companion. So, I would be happy if Chie becomes Yosuke's wife..."

"Dude... that words of yours are tearing me apart..." commented Yosuke.

"That's good to hear..." said Yurie with a relieved smile. "So, are you ready to have a first kiss, since you two haven't got it yet?"

"K-Kiss!?" both brunettes were shocked. "Never even for millions of years!!" protested them in unison.

Yurie frowned. "Hanamura-kun, haven't Gin told you yet?" asked the woman.

"Told me what?" asked Yosuke.

Yurie sighed. "Alright... listen here, Hanamura-kun. Last night, when you're saving Chie, do you realize something's odd about you?" she focused her sight onto the young brunette man. "I mean, have you heard some weird voice or something?"

"Weird voice?" Yosuke seemed to be thinking. "Now you mention it... I've heard a very weird voice when I'm trying to save Chie..."

"Oh, I remember that too!!" said Chie. "And you say something like 'I am under your command, Hime-sama', that's kind a bit cliché though..." commented Chie.

"Snrk!"

"Oh no... I've pressed a wrong button again..." sighed Chie as she heard a sign of unending fit of laugh from Yukiko. "C'mon! Is that even funny?!"

"Ehehe, sorry..." somehow, Yukiko managed to barely suppress her unique laughing fit. "...did you say 'I am under your command, Hime-sama'?" asked Yukiko.

All eyes were to Yosuke. Then, the brunette man talked. "Actually, I never thought to say something like that at that time. It's like... something was overtaking my body when I heard that weird voice..."

Yurie sighed. "So, you've qualified..."

"Qualified?" Yosuke frowned.

"To be a Knight, he should be qualified to protect the heiress..." explained Yurie. "As the Knight vowed to protect the heiress by any mean, even putting his life on the line, some sort of contract was made, a contract that connected the souls of the Knight and the heiress, and the Knight was obliged to serve under the heiress with exchange of his soul..."

"Connecting... the souls? Do you mean... Yosuke's soul and Chie's soul are connected to each other?" asked Souji.

"That's the idea..." replied Yurie.

"Man, that sounds even ridiculous than what Gin-sensei ever said to me before..." commented Yosuke. "But, connecting our souls together? Hmm... that sounds about true. I mean, I felt a tender feeling when I was around Chie..." said the brunette man. "Don't get me wrong, Chie! I mean, when I'm beside you, somehow, my body feels a bit more comfortable than normal..."

"When you say that..." said Chie. "I think... me too. When Yosuke saved me from those people, I felt rather secured..."

"So, you've realized it..." Yurie smiled. "So, that's why I talk about 'kissing'..."

"W-Wait! What with this 'kissing' part about?" asked Chie. "It makes me sick whenever I listen to it..."

"Listen here, Hanamura, Chie..." Yurie looked at both Yosuke and Chie. "Even though the obligation was made between both of you, it's still not completed. To complete the obligation, the souls between the Knight and the heiress should be exposed to each other to create a permanent pact, an Eternal Obligation..."

"Eternal... Obligation?" Chie seemed confused.

"To expose the souls to each other, a way to do it is to make a 'pact-making' ceremony, a ritual which was made thousands of years before by Gin In the ceremony, both the Knight and the heiress should stand in a circlet, and they have to kiss..." said Yurie, putting her finger on her lips. "On the lips..."

"W-What?!!" now, Yosuke was terribly shocked. "That's totally ridiculous!! How am I suppose to kiss someone like Chie?!"

"That's the way to maintain the obligation..." replied Yurie. "And, Hanamura-kun, I'm expecting you to protect Chie by any cost, right? So, a kiss won't ever hurt you, am I wrong?"

"That's..." Yosuke seemed hesitated.

"Mom, is that even right for me?" asked Chie. "I mean, do you ever mind if I have to kiss? And how about Dad?"

"Don't mind that... Dad won't mind it at all. And for me..." Yurie giggled. "It'll great if you're kissing Hanamura-kun, right? If you're marrying him, your life will be better since I know it for certain that Hanamura-kun will somehow inherit his father's job as Junes' manager, hohohohoho..."

_Damn... I hate to say that she's true..._

"So, Hanamura-kun..." Yurie looked at Yosuke. "Would you mind to be my daughter's first kiss?"

"I-I... I guess... it can't be helped..." finally, Yosuke nodded in agreement. "If I can protect people with that way, I'll do just that..."

"I see..." then she looked at her daughter. "And, how about you, Chie? Is that good for you to let Hanamura-kun steals your lips?"

"Mom..." Chie looked at her mother.

"Don't worry, sweetie..." Yurie smiled. "A kiss won't hurt you, right? All I want is to keep you safe from Yamata-no-Orochi and the Serpent Tail..."

"I..." Chie lowered her gaze. "I'll do it. Even it might be a little hard for me, I'll do it..."

Yurie smiled triumphantly. "So, it has been decided, right?" she looked on the ceiling. "Oji-san, I know you're up there... go down and make a preparation to make the ceremony already..."

Unexpectedly, a man who was covering himself with a sheet that had the same color with the ceiling, exposed himself and jumped down. That was Gin, but this time, he seemed different. Instead of having his usual ragged appearance, his long hair was tidy and tied. He wore a black suit. His round spectacles were no longer to be seen, leaving his crimson eyes exposed.

"Whoa... you look cooler with it, Gin-sensei..." commented Yosuke.

"It can't be helped..." shrugged Gin. "Yurie asked me to look more tidy, so she asked me to wear this thing..." he sighed. "So, are you deciding to make the deal?"

"Err... sort of..." answered Yosuke.

"I see. So, prepare yourselves and go to Tatsuhime Shrine!"

~darkness~

"Why should we be in this place anyway?" asked Chie. They were currently inside the shrine.

"This is one of holy place where our ancestor, Princesss Kushinada was enshrined. If you look at this shrine's name, Tatsuhime, Iron Princess... that's Princess Kushinada's nickname..." said Chie's mother.

"Oh... I never thought this place is that unique..." commented Yukiko. "We, the Amagis frequently came to this place without knowing its history..."

"Some of the Amagis knew it..." said Yurie. "Furthermore, Amagi Clan is one of the branches of Kushinada Clan... so, even you have Kushinada's blood in your vein, even though it's not the Royal Blood. It makes us related to each other by blood..." explained Yurie helpfully. "If the possession of the Royal Blood ends in one branch, it will be transferred into another branches, randomly of course..." added Yurie.

"Oh... thank you for the information, Satonaka-san..." thanked Yukiko.

Gin was drawing a circlet by using a white chalk in the middle of the main chamber of the shrine. The drawing consisted of a moon and a sun, with several runic writings around them, was finally done after being drawn for about 15 minutes.

"It's done..." said Gin. "Yosuke, Chie... come here, the ceremony will start soon..."

Both Yosuke and Chie stepped forward reluctantly and looked at the circlet. The drawing was beautifully done. Then, Yosuke asked. "What does that words mean anyway?" he pointed to the ancient runic writing on the circlet.

"That's our language, the god's language... it means 'by the exchange of our old selves, we will hereby connect our souls, to be one'..." explained Gin. "That old self means your condition before the pact is made..."

"Okay, I think I can understand that..." nodded Yosuke.

"Now, what should we do?" asked Chie.

"You two should stand on the circlet..." ordered Gin. "Please step in, and be careful because a wrong step might cause the botched obligation..." reminded the old man.

"How should we do?" asked Chie.

"Make it with passion, pour your heart into the kiss..." said Gin.

"Well, okay..." nodded Yosuke. "I think I can do that..."

Both Yosuke and Chie were standing on the drawing as Gin sat outside of it, beside them. He seemed to say something which Yosuke never heard before. Then, the circlet surprisingly glowed in such a glorious white light.

"You may start now..." ordered Gin with a smile.

Yosuke and Chie nodded before they stared at each other. Both of them seemed to be embarrassed to have their first kiss. Souji, Yukiko and Yurie were watching them.

Yosuke breathed in deeply before he spoke nervously. "Well... are you ready?" he asked the brunette woman in front of him.

"Umm..." unexpectedly, Chie put her hands around Yosuke's neck. "Can you make it... gentle?"

"Uhh... okay..." Yosuke hold Chie's head by putting both his hands on her face. "H-Here I go..." he could feel Chie's breath as his face drawn closer to her. Then, he gently kissed Chie's lips.

"With the exchange of their old selves... I am hereby sentencing the souls of theirs, merge..." muttered Gin. As he muttered the words, the glorious light turned its color from white into blue. The drawings of moon and sun seemed to shift from their place as both of the drawings rotated on the circlet.

Chie could feel it, an unusual sensation as Yosuke pressed his lips on hers. She tightened her hug to the man as she felt something came in and out from and into her mouth.

Then, the drawings of moon and sun shifted to the centre of the circlet, where Yosuke and Chie were standing and the color of the light reverted back into white. After that, the light finally dissipated, leaving behind the circlet with the drawings of moon and sun, merged to each other, forming a drawing of solar eclipse.

"I think that should be enough..." said Gin. Yosuke pulled his head behind, gasped some air for his precious lungs. Then, he sighed. "So, it's done, right?"

"Indeed..." said Gin with a grin.

"Congratulation, Chie..." Yurie congratulated her daughter for the completion of the process. "You've formed an Eternal Obligation..." she said. "...though it isn't that eternal since its effect will be lessened after Orochi's defeat..."

"So, what's up with this thing, mum?" asked Chie to her mother.

"Well... by this obligation, you're making Hanamura-kun as your private pet if you want to make it blunt..." answered Yurie.

"Pet?" Yosuke frowned.

"Yosuke-kun's becoming Chie's pet?" asked Yukiko.

"Yosuke is a pet?" Souji looked at Yosuke.

"Pet?" Chie looked at her mother.

"Then, try to make an order to him..." said Chie's mother.

"Well... alright..." Chie nodded before she stood in front of Yosuke. She breathed for air deeply before she said. "Sit."

Unexpectedly, Yosuke sat on the floor, much to his surprise. "Hey, what's up with this!?"

"That's the ultimate obligation. You won't be able to deny your master's order once you create a permanent pact with her... so, you're literally Chie's servant for now..." explained Gin.

"What?!" exclaimed Yosuke. "You never said that before?!"

"You never asked it..." shrugged Gin.

"So, I can do whatever to him, right?" asked Chie.

"Whatever you want, sweetie..." said Yurie.

"Oh no... this is very bad..." Yosuke could feel another approaching doom which had been imposed upon him.

"Yosuke..." said Chie with an evil smirk. "About this morning, that punishment wasn't enough... so, I'll make some additions for the punishment..."

Chie looked at Yosuke who was sitting on the wooden floor. "Now, bark like a dog!"

"Chie, that's totally ridicu-arf!! Arf!! What?!" before he could finish his sentence, he barked, same like Chie intended him to do.

Yukiko laughed as she saw the poor brunette man being toyed by his new master. "Chie, make him purr!!"

"Okay, now, purr like a cat!!" ordered Chie.

"I say, stop it this insta-purr.... what?!" once again, Yosuke unintentionally followed the instruction.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!!" Yukiko laughed as she saw Yosuke did whatever Chie asked him to.

"S-Souji... put some rest on these two witches, will you?" asked Yosuke with such embarrassment to his partner.

The silverette stared on his best friend before he said to Chie with such a nonchalant tone. "Chie, make him roll..."

"What?!" exclaimed Yosuke. "Souji!! You're traitor!!"

As the three amigos continued to enjoy themselves by putting some hardship for a recently-labelled servant, Yurie and Gin watched them with amusement.

"I guess they'll get along with each other just fine..." commented Yurie.

"I bet. But seeing both of them reminds me of you and Hiroshi years ago..." said Gin.

"Haha, really?" Yurie looked at Gin. "Anyway, I presume that Serpent Tail is getting stronger than before, right?"

"That's for sure..." nodded Gin. "But, it isn't right for me to involve you and Hiroshi again in this new war... your story had been completed. I'm also quite reluctant to involve Daidara and the others to join in the war... but it can't be helped then..." he shrugged.

"Oji-san, what will you do then?" asked Yurie.

"I think, it's about time for the youngsters to save the world... I'll add their friends as the new additions for the Eaters..."

~darkness~

Woohoo!! Chapter 40 is completed. This chapter is surprisingly strong, thanks for my mental state, which is recently recovered from a terrible fever. Thank you for those who are reviewing chapter 39. Hmm... it seems that someone is asking about 'instead of protecting Chie, why don't they just put an end to Kushinada's bloodline'? Hmm... that's quite logical too, but what it means to put an end to the bloodline? Isn't it by killing Chie? Is it true that Ryoji might think about it, but would he just spit it out when he was at Minato's side? And how about Gin? He might totally oppose the idea. And also, for your information, a family will expand into branches from generation to generation. If the possession of the Royal Blood ends in one branch, it'll be transferred into another branch, like being mentioned by Chie's mother, it's random. It would be dangerous since Serpent Eaters won't know the next owner of Royal Blood if the possession of the Royal Blood ends in Chie's family. Since Yukiko also one of Kushinada's bloodline, it might be plausible if her offspring may possess the Royal Blood if Chie's generation ends, but it has a very little chance for that since Kushinada bloodline might have thousands family branches.

As for this chapter, I've included a list of three notable noble families in the fanfic. Those families are Kushinada, Kuzunoha and Kirijo.

Kushinada Clan

A very elusive clan which had existed from thousands of years ago. Kushinada Clan is a very unique clan since it is essentially ruled by matriarchal leader, which happened to be the owner of the Royal Blood. Initially lived in Royal Palace, this clan is forced to leave the palace in order to obscure its existence from Yamata-no-Orochi, which sought for the maiden of the Royal Blood. The founder of the clan is Princess Kushinada, who was enshrined in Tatsuhime Shrine in Inaba. Although the heiress is no longer assumes for Kushinada's name, she takes the role as a family's main supporter (the current matriarch is Satonaka Yurie, Chie's mother). The recent owner of Royal Blood is Satonaka Chie.

Notable members of the clan:

Satonaka Yurie (the clan's matriarch)

Satonaka Chie (the recent owner of Royal Blood)

Amagi Yukiko (one of the clan's branches)

Kuzunoha Clan

A mysterious clan which is known as 'Demon Summoner's Clan', this clan consists of four branched clans, as the leaders the clans are the elders of Kuzunoha Clan. One of the branches of the clan, Shirogane Clan, is considered as the darkest among the four. The current patriarch of the clan, Shirogane Misanori is also one of the four elders of Kuzunoha and the only clan that is not assuming Kuzunoha's name. The other Shirogane's bloodlines are Shirogane Naoto and Arisato Minato. This clan is somehow very old-fashioned and considers many things as taboo, like disowning a family's youth who had survived in a life-taking incident. It explains why Minato was disowned by the clan. The members of the clans are genetically intelligent, it is proved by Naoto's deductive ability and Minato's unquestionable leadership. The clan is also one of the guardians of Kushinada Clan.

Notable members of the clan:

Shirogane Misanori (Shirogane Clan's patriarch)

Shirogane Naoto (Shirogane Clan's bloodline)

Arisato Minato (Shirogane Clan's bloodline, disowned)

Unnamed deceased Minato's fraternal twin sister (Shirogane Clan's bloodline, died in the incident)

Kirijo Family

One of the wealthiest family throughout Japan, Kirijo Family is considered as 'authorized modern-age Yakuza clan' due to its influence in millitary units and a very large family manor. This family rules about 1/3 world in financial business. This family is located in an artificial island, Tatsumi Port Island. The family funded many things like a private high school, Gekkoukan High School, a hospital, Tatsumi Memorial Hospital and a theme park, Destiny Sea. The current matriarch of the family is Kirijo Mitsuru.

Notable members of the family:

Kirijo Mitsuru (the family's matriarch)

Kirijo Takeharu (the family's former patriarch, deceased)

And so, read and review...

Albireo Imma


	41. The Master of Strings

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 41: The Master of Strings

Minato was walking around the nearest city from Inaba, Okina City. A week ago, Souji had reported to him that Chie had already forged a permanent pact with Yosuke, much to his relief. Thanks to that, they wouldn't have to worry about Chie's safety for now because the effect of the obligation is greater to the point that it will help her from being taken by Serpent Tail again.

"It's good to be out of Inaba once in a while..." muttered the bluenette. Then, he sighed. Because of his shortened lifespan, he was thinking too much nowadays. He had to think about Yukari and Aigis, because of their obvious feelings towards him. And also, it turned out that Naoto is his biological younger sister, who was oblivious about Minato's status as her brother. The man was rather pressurized by those matters, so he decided to escape from them for a while.

As he walked in front of a musical instrument's shop, he saw something which attracted him. On a display shelf was a plain white baroque violin, and Minato was looking at the musical instrument. Somehow, he felt something familiar as he saw the white violin before an image of a brunette woman, playing a white violin, came into Minato's mind.

Instinctively, Minato stepped into the shop and went to the display shelf. He asked the shopkeeper about the violin.

"Ah... it seems that you're interested with this piece of instrument, young lad..." said the shopkeeper, looking at Minato as he flashed a smug grin. He took the violin. "This is rather an old violin, but it's still good enough to play beautiful melody. If you're interested, why don't you try it?"

Minato nodded. "I'll do it..." he took the violin and a bow from the old shopkeeper. He sat on a chair before he put the left side of his jaw on the chinrest of the violin, and supported it with his left shoulder. He closed his eyes before he put the bow on the strings and started to play the instrument. He played a classical music which he memorized from his days at Gekkoukan as the member of Music Club.

The old shopkeeper was stunned by listening to the music Minato played. Other customers seemed to be attracted by the music and listened to it as well. The music was beautifully played by Minato before he opened his eyes and stopped playing it. Then, he received applauses from other customers.

The old shopkeeper wiped his tears, astounded by Minato's playing. "I-I never thought to listen such a beautiful music..." said the shopkeeper. "I'll give you discount for that..."

"Thank you..." bowed Minato politely.

~darkness~

Minato arrived at his rented house at Inaba. He sighed as Ryoji wasn't home yet, but it's good since it'll help him to have a better atmosphere to play his new violin. He opened a window and took a stool. He sat on the stool and took out his violin.

He breathed in and out as he stared at the white baroque violin. Then, he remembered the day, when he was a kid; playing a violin with the same color as the one he bought, while sitting on the laps of a brunette woman.

_You're amazing, Minato-chan!! You've already memorized it..._

The young Minato smiled to the woman.

_Of course, Mom!! Because I am your proud son!!_

Minato chuckled as he remembered his day as a kid, when he was six. Unknown by most, his late father was a detective as his late mother was a musician. Both of them came from Kuzunoha Clan and also a part of Shirogane Clan. His mother taught him how to play many musical instruments since he was five, such as piano, violin, guitar, viola, cello and many more.

"Mom..." muttered Minato. Then, he prepared to play the violin as he put the left side of his jaw on the chinrest of the violin and made his left shoulder supported the instrument. He raised his bow onto the strings and began to play a classical piece of music, which was simply made by his mother.

The fleeting music made the bluenette felt rather comfortable. He felt that his body was lighter, and as he continued to play the music, he felt someone was watching him. He opened his eyes and turned back, and saw long-haired brunette woman, dressed in black dress, holding a similar violin as him. The woman flashed a smile to Minato.

"Minato-chan... you've grown up well..." said the woman.

"M-Mom?!" Minato was surprised. He stood up and stared at the woman. Unexpectedly, tears came out from his yes. "Mom, is that you?!"

"Minato-kun, are you crying?"

Minato was startled by hearing that familiar voice. He looked again in front of him. Instead of seeing his mother, he saw Yukari with a container of food in her hands. She seemed to worry about his condition as she saw Minato cried.

"Yukari?" Minato wiped his tears. "No, I'm not..." he shook his head. He put his violin and the bow on a table nearby.

"Really?" Yukari frowned. "Anyway, I've made some onigiris for you. Would you like to have some?"

Minato smiled. "Yeah, I'll love it..." he nodded. "And you should join along. I don't want to eat alone..."

Yukari blushed before she nodded. "Well... okay..."

Both of them sat on the couch as Yukari opened the food container. "They're made by me, plum-flavored... you'll like it..." she said with a smile.

Minato took one of the onigiris and took a bite. One of his eyebrows raised before he commented. "It's good..."

"Haha, thanks..." Yukari blushed by hearing the compliment.

As both of them were eating the onigiris, Yukari seemed to be thinking before she spoke. "Minato-kun, would you be okay then? Your death will come someday, and yet you're still not making a decision whether you should choose me or Aigis..."

Minato sighed before he ate the last onigiri. "Yukari... I've been thinking a lot nowadays... about you, about Aigis, about our tasks, and..." he stopped.

"Minato-kun?" Yukari looked at the bluenette. "What's up?"

"..." Minato refused to share about his sister to Yukari.

"Minato-kun... do you have a problem or something?" asked Yukari. "Would you mind to tell me about it?"

Minato stared on Yukari's face before he took a deep breath. Then, he spoke. "Actually, I have a younger sister..."

Yukari was surprised. "W-What?! Younger sister?!" it was the first time she heard about it. "W-Wait!? This is the first time I've heard about it!!"

"It's kept secret. After my supposed 'death', Mitsuru knew about it once she read my documents, but she received a letter from my grandfather so this matter can be kept secret..."

"Your grandfather? I haven't heard about that before too!!" said Yukari. "Who is your sister?"

Minato's eyes were fixated to Yukari's. "Can you keep it as a secret?" asked Minato.

"Well... I'll try..." nodded Yukari.

Minato sighed before he spoke. "Shirogane Naoto..."

Yukari gasped. "N-Naoto?! Do you mean that Naoto-kun?!" she seemed totally confused. "I mean, your surnames are different. How could you be her brother?"

"Arisato is my aunt's surname... my parents' surname is Shirogane. But, due to some unexplainable reasons, I was disowned by Shiroganes and was taken by Arisato family..." explained Minato.

"Disowned?" Yukari looked at the bluenette. "So, she knows about you?" she asked Minato. The navy-haired man shook his head weakly.

"No... and I don't want her to know it either..." said Minato. "I don't want to worry her again..."

Yukari looked at somehow confused man. It was the first time for her to see Minato to be troubled. He looked very tired, maybe because of too much thinking.

"Our parents died in that incident and at that time, she was with our grandfather... so, that's why she didn't be disowned by the family..." said Minato. "And, I once had a twin sister, but she died along with our parents in that incident..."

"Minato-kun..." Yukari put his hands on Minato's laps. "Don't worry, I'm with you..." then the brunette woman hugged Minato. Once again, an image of his mother, hugging him passionately, entered his mind.

"M-Mom..." squeaked Minato before tears came out again from his eyes. Then, he wrapped his arms around Yukari, and enjoyed the precious moment together.

Unknown by most, Minato is a lonely boy...

A lonely boy who sought for a warm embrace from a mother...

~darkness~

Naoto was standing in front of her family's portraits. One of them was her mother, a long-haired brunette woman with bluish gray eyes. And the other one was her father, a man with angular face and navy hair, same just like her. Somehow, her grandfather had burned most of her family's photos due to unknown reason.

"Naoto..." then, Naoto's grandfather, Misanori, entered the room. Naoto turned back and looked at the man.

"Grandpa..." said Naoto. "Where have you been?"

"Well, it's nothing. It's just a simple meeting with some of my friends. Anyway, do you've received some calls from the police department regarding that case?" the older Shirogane asked his granddaughter.

"Oh, that one... it seems that they won't need our assistance since it's already solved some days ago..." replied Naoto. "Granpa, may I ask you about something?"

"What is it, Naoto?" Misanori listened for his granddaughter.

"Did I really have a brother?" asked Naoto.

Misanori was startled by the question. He was thinking for a moment before he answered. "You once had one, but he's dead, along with your parents..."

"Is that true?" Naoto looked on her grandfather face. "So, why there's no picture of him? Why did you burn them?"

"Naoto... the time will come someday, the time when I'll tell you the truth..." said the older Shirogane before he left the room, leaving Naoto alone. Naoto sighed before she looked on the photos of her parents.

"Mom... Dad... do I really have a brother?"

~darkness~

Minato arrived in front of the main gate of Shirogane Estate. The estate seemed to be very large since it might contain a private cemetery for Shiroganes. Minato brought his violin along in his bag. He opened the gate and walked into the estate. After some minutes of travel, he finally arrived in front of the main entrance of Shirogane's cemetery.

"So, here I am..." muttered Minato before he stepped into the area. He walked alongside some mark stones before he arrived in front of two tombs, which happened to be his parents' graves.

"Mom... Dad... I'm coming..." said Minato. He joined his hands, closed his eyes and started praying for them. After some moments of silence, he opened his eyes and sighed. He stared on those two mark stones, particularly the one which was owned by his mother. He sat in front of the tombs with a seiza position.

"Mom... Dad... it's me, Minato..." said Minato. "It had been years since we met, right? The last time we met was at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, when both of you were no longer moving..."

After the incident, the bodies of his parents were claimed by Shirogane Clan as the body of his twin sister was cremated at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, due to the clan's taboo. Minato took out his violin before he looked at his mother's tomb.

"Mom, I still remember what you've taught me about violin... I still remember about how to play the music that you taught me before... you want to hear it?" asked Minato. As the question remained unprompted, he started to play the musical instrument.

It was weird for someone who played a violin in the middle of cemetery, but for Minato, it was essential for him because it brought back some fond memories about his parents. Then, he could vividly see two figures, standing behind the marks tones. Those two figures were a woman with long brunette hair and a man with bowler hat and blue hair. The woman smiled serenely as she looked at the man who played the violin as the blue-haired one smiled triumphantly.

_We are proud of you, Minato-chan..._

"M-Mom?!" Minato stopped playing his violin and stood up. Tears flowed out from his eyes onto his cheeks.

_Minato, you're my son... we are proud of you..._

"Dad?" he looked at another one.

_Don't give up, even if you're under such hardship... I know you'll presevere, Minato-chan..._

"Mom?! I-I'll try that!!" said Minato to the image of his mother.

_If you're failed, don't be sad, since we knew that you've struggled very hard for that... we believe in you, Minato..._

"Dad... I..."

"Minato-san?"

Minato's eyes widened as he heard that voice. The image vanished from Minato's mind before he looked behind, only to see a shorter version of himself, dressed in blue shirt and black trousers.

"Naoto?" Minato looked at the blue-haired woman before he realized his carelessness to call her with her first name.

_Dammit!! I've called her with her first name!!_

"Minato-san, what're you doing here?" asked Naoto.

"Well... I'm just paying respect for your parents, that's all..." said Minato, seemingly telling Naoto a truth. It just happened that he didn't mention that Naoto's parents were his parents.

"Oh... but, what's with that violin?" asked Naoto, gesturing to the violin in Minato's hand.

"Oh, this... I've heard from your grandfather that your parents loved music, that's all... I guess, it's for symbolic meaning..." said Minato. He didn't tell Naoto a lie since he knew their parents loved music.

"Oh, I get it now..." Naoto nodded. "Actually, I come here to pay some respect for them too..." she stepped forward and stood in front of both tombs. She joined her hands and started her praying. After her praying was done, she looked at Minato.

"So, looking at the musical instrument you're holding, I presume that you're good when it comes to play music..." said Naoto.

"Well... you can say that..." said Minato.

"Actually..." Naoto looked at the clouds. "I wish I'm wrong, but I've got a feeling that I have something important to know..."

"Important?" Minato frowned.

"Yes..." Naoto nodded. "It just happened that I once had a brother..."

Minato was startled by Naoto's words. Then, he regained his composure before he spoke. "Oh, is that true?"

"I don't know... but I wish I could know it..." said Naoto. Then, she stared on Minato's face. "Seeing you remind me of someone, but I'm not really sure about it..."

"Oh, I wish that my face may remind you of your brother..." said Minato with a smirk.

"Hehe, that's funny, Minato-san..." said Naoto, smiling as well. "Anyway, I should get going. Farewell..." she bowed to the older bluenette before she left him alone in front of tombs.

Minato just looked at Naoto before she finally gone. Then, he looked back at the tombs before he knelt. Then, he sobbed and cried.

"Mom... Dad... what should I do?" the bluenette sobbed. "Why it's very hard for me to not care?"

Without his notice, Ryoji was observing him from a branch of a tree. The man with yellow scarf sighed before he muttered.

"That's the price you should pay for your selfishness, Minato..."

~darkness~

Hmm, chapter 41 is surprisingly shorter than I thought. But, it doesn't really matter since it only shows about Minato's more sentimental side. Anyway, thanks for those who are reviewing Chapter 40. But I believe that there's one review that states about sterilizing the people from the Kushinada's family branch. Come on, sterilize?! That's quite cruel and inhuman, isn't it? Chosens or not, those from Kushinada's bloodline are nothing but humans, and they wish to have their own child from their own blood. Do you think that adopting will solve the problem? Never!! Of course if they're taking the children to adopt, they can be the parents, but deep within their hearts, they also want the children from their own blood. And also, Gin can be said as a selfish figure in the story. Hell yeah, he must be a selfish man in order to preserve his bloodline. And about saving the world, that's quite true too, but in order to defeat Orochi, that large serpent should be sealed because it can't be destroyed just like that. So, it's like an unending punishment for Gin. And, I want to say here that 'sterilize won't solve anything'. Haha, it feels rather good than ever. It's not like they have no last resort. Actually, they have one but it's rather indecent one. Remember they said about 'maiden'? What it means by maiden? It means damsel, virgin, unadulterated, untouched and so on. So, you should get the idea already. This chapter might be a little scrappy, but I wish people will read and put reviews on it.

Albireo Imma


	42. Kusanagi no Tsurugi

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 42: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi

In the abandoned warehouse, Moses was standing alone in front of the mirror.

"Master... we have pinpoint the location of your mighty sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi..." said the black-haired man. "Or rather, the recent owner of the sword..."

Vineyard, who was leaning herself against the wall was holding a document as she read it. "Shirogane Naoto, the grandchild of Shirogane Misanori of Serpent Eaters. She's a detective who obtains a firearms' license... quite unathletic but can be a powerful foe due to her Persona ability and deadly marksmanship..."

Moses chuckled. "Do you think gun can harm me?" he looked at Vineyard.

_Good... if we manage to obtain the sword, we will be able to wipe the entire Eaters, and take over the eighth maiden. Soon, I'll be able to assume my Avatar form, and be the one who will take over the world..._

"That's for sure, Master..." said Moses. "I'll do it. I'll take the sword for you..." Moses volunteered himself for the task. "I'll show her the strength of Envy..."

~darkness~

It was already night. Naoto immersed herself in the water in the large tub in luxurious-looking bathroom. She couldn't help but to remember the time when she was paying some respects for her deceased parents, where she saw Minato, coming to her parents' tombs and playing violin in front of them.

"What's up with him?" the blue-haired woman muttered. Then, she stood up and got herself out from the tub. She took her towel and wrapped it around her body. Then, she looked at her revolver, which was put beside a bottle of shampoo.

"It can't be helped if I always bring along my gun..." Naoto smiled sadly before she picked the gun. After that, she walked out from the bathroom and went to the direction of her room. She opened the door and entered the room. She put on her pajamas.

"Hmm... Grandpa is nowhere to be found again..." muttered Naoto. "And... Yakushiji too... what's up with them?"

She ended all her mutterings with a sigh before she kept her gun in her small cabinet. She didn't feel like to sleep, but since she had to sleep for tomorrow; a day for her to go to Tokyo for solving some murder cases, she had to do it so she could wake up early. She sighed again.

She was already 21, but her height seemed to not have many differences than five years ago, making her felt like she never grew up. When Rise was still around, she often teased her for her constant height, much for her embarrassment, but Rise also said that it was rather cute. She ended all of these thinkings with another sigh before she put herself on her bed.

She looked at her side to see a portrait of her parents. She smiled before she said. "Goodnight Mom, Dad..."

As she began to close her eyes, suddenly she heard an explosion. She immediately stood up and looked at the window. Her eyes widened as she saw the area of Shirogane's cemetery was in fire.

"What the?!" Naoto was surprised by seeing that. She turned back and took her jacket, torchlight and her gun. She put on her jacket and went out from the house. She took her scooter and started the engine.

"What was that?!" she asked herself. As she managed to start the engine of her scooter, she rode the vehicle to the direction of Shirogane's cemetery. It took several minutes for her to reach the graveyard for Shiroganes. She descended from her scooter and began to walk slowly into the area. She turned on her torchlight, enabling her to see in darkness.

Then, Naoto arrived at the place where the fire was everywhere. Some trees and mark stones were burned by unknown source of fire. She prepared her gun ready if something would come out. As a Shirogane, she couldn't help but to pity those deceased Shiroganes who had their final resting place on fire.

"Who did this?" muttered Naoto, flashing around her torchlight.

"It's me..."

Naoto's eyes widened in shock as she heard a voice behind her. She turned back and saw a black-haired man with black leathery suit, standing on a mark stone. The man took out some kind of metallic chains.

"W-Who are you?!" asked Naoto, aiming her revolver to the man. "What's your intention?!"

"Pardon my rudeness, Shirogane Naoto..." said the man. "My name is Moses, and I am the adjutant of Envy for my great master, Yamata-no-Orochi..."

"Yamata-no-Orochi?" Naoto frowned. "What is that about?!"

"Oh, it really means anything..." shrugged Moses. He jumped down from the mark stone where he was standing on. "My intentions are... two. One is to claim your power which you've obtained from Amaterasu..." said Moses. "And the other one is... to take your life..."

~darkness~

"Yukiko... you're drunk..." commented Chie as she looked at her best friend, who had just finished her eighth can of beer. "Your mother will be angry if she finds out you're drunk..."

"Aww... Chie, don't be like that... hic!" Yukiko, who had turned herself into a slutty woman when she was drunk, spoke to Chie. "Chie, gimme another one. C'mon... pretty please..."

Yurie just sighed. "She totally resembles her mother..." the woman commented the drunk woman. "Her mother was drunk a night before her wedding ceremony..."

Chie sighed. It was Yosuke's fault for buying a carton of beers and brought it to her house. Since all of them had reached the minimum age for drinking, Yurie allowed him to bring those beverages. But, unexpectedly, Yukiko had turned herself into useless slutty woman after drinking those drinks.

"Sheesh... once she laughs, she's helpless... but once she's drunk, she's totally an idiot and useless..." commented Chie. "This is Yosuke's fault..."

"Hey!! Don't blame me!!" bellowed Yosuke. "It's Yukiko's fault for being slutty after drinking those things!!"

Souji who was sitting on the couch just sighed. He didn't drink the beer because he didn't want to make his uncle reprimanded him. "Okay... since Yukiko is awfully drunk, I think we should leave Yukiko here. And I believe Yosuke will be staying here as well, right?"

Yosuke sighed. "I hate that idea, but oh well... I think I can hit some books and DVDs..."

"Oh, no touching allowed, mister!!" said Chie. "Those are mine!!"

"Don't be stingy, Chie!!" protested Yosuke.

"Grr...." grunted Chie. "Do push-ups!!"

"Hey!! How suppose I mak-gaah!!" before he could finish his sentence, his body moved by itself and began to make push-ups.

"Aahhh..." then, Yukiko fell on the floor and sleeping.

"That's good if she's sleeping..." said Souji. "I guess I'll take her to your room, Chie..." he went to the sleeping woman and lifted her. "Where's your room anyway?"

"Oh, just follow me then..." Yurie stood up. She walked upstairs as Souji followed her. Then, they arrived in front of Chie's room. They entered the room. Souji found the room filled with many posters of kung-fu movies, particularly Bruce Lee, much to his expectation. Some Bruce Lee figurines were arranged on her table. Chie's policeman's uniform was hanging on the wall.

"Sorry if this room getting messy..." said Yurie apologetically. "But that's Chie if you ask me..."

"I totally understand that, Satonaka-san..." nodded Souji. Then, he put the sleeping Yukiko on Chie's bed. "Anyway, we should put Yukiko in futon..."

"Ah, I think it's here..." Yurie opened a cupboard and took out a folded futon. She spreaded the futon on the floor. Souji lifted Yukiko again and put her on the futon. He tucked her into blanket.

"Seta-kun..." Yurie looked at Souji. "You're great when it comes to handling a sleeping person..."

"Well, I'm used to bring my little cousin Nanako into her bed..." said Souji.

"Anyway, you should be more careful, Seta-kun..." Yurie put her hand on Souji's shoulder. "I can feel that something is ignited within you, and it begins to consume you internally..." she put her finger on Souji's chest. "Please preserve all parts of yours which are associated with your soul, especially your heart..."

"My heart?" Souji frowned.

"Yes, the Kushinadas believed that heart is the centre of the soul. Once corrupted, the entire soul will be inflicted..." said Yurie with solemn tone. "And once the soul of yours is corrupted, you will lose many things; humanity, love, feeling, sanity... and the worst, life..." she glanced to the sleeping beauty. "And if that soul of yours is corrupted, the life of your beloved one will be endangered..."

Souji was silent for some moments before he nodded. "I'll try to conserve my humanity..."

"That's good to hear..." Yurie smiled. "Then, you should get back, it almost midnight..."

"Yes..." Souji bowed to the woman. "Please take a good care to Yukiko..."

"I'll do just that, don't worry..." said Yurie reassuringly.

"Thank you..." Souji nodded thankfully to the woman. Then, he walked out from the room to downstairs. He found that Yosuke had stopped doing push-ups and listened for some music with his earphones. Chie was watching the television.

"Oh, Souji... you're going home? Goodbye then..." Yosuke looked at his partner.

"Souji-kun, goodnight!" said Chie.

Souji nodded before he walked out from the house. As he was walking in the middle of the night, his cell phone rang. He took out the communication device and put it on his ears.

"Seta Souji speaking..." spoke the silverette.

_It's me, Minato..._

"Minato-san? What's up?" asked Souji.

_It seems that Serpent Tail begins its operation once again. I want you to prepare yourself..._

"What?" Souji was mildly surprised. "Are they intending to attack Chie?"

_No. But it is more dangerous than that. They are aiming for Naoto!!_

"W-What?!" this time, Souji was completely surprised. "B-But, why?"

_I don't know for sure, but from Ryoji, we're sure that Naoto is currently being attacked by one of those from Serpent Tail..._

"Alright..." Souji nodded. "I'll go first..."

_Please do... and please protect her. She's the only sister I have..._

"Don't worry, Minato-san... I'll protect her..." said Souji. Then, the conversation ended. Without looking back, he dashed to his uncle's house. He entered the house and found that Nanako was already sleeping. Dojima wasn't there either. He quickly went to his room and fetched his sword. Then, he came out from the house and stood up in front of the house.

"Now, transform!!" Souji's eyes turned yellow before his jacket and his sword transmogrified into long gakuran jacket and a naginata respectively. His silver hair elongated and some kind of glowing purple aura could be seen from his body.

**"To Shirogane's Estate then..."** muttered Souji with such a ghastly tone before he jumped high from an electrical pole to another, jumping towards the direction of the mentioned estate.

~darkness~

"Yamato Takeru!!" Naoto summoned her Persona, Yamato Takeru of the Fortune Arcana. The Persona appeared and slashed her Kusanagi Sword towards Moses. The black-haired man jumped behind before attacking Naoto with his chain. The attack hit Naoto's calf.

"Uhh!!" grunted Naoto. She quickly covered herself behind a tomb stone of a deceased Shirogane. She reloaded her revolver before she released some shots towards Moses. The man easily deflected the bullets by using his chain.

"What's wrong with you, Shirogane Naoto?" asked Moses. "Are you scared?"

"Never!!" Naoto stood up and fired some shots towards Moses. As the man protected himself from the bullets by using his chain, Naoto dashed forward and kicked the man's stomach. The man was moved behind, but then he took Naoto's foot and grabbed it.

"What?!" Naoto was surprised as Moses grabbed her foot.

"Now, taste this!!" Moses threw Naoto with such a mighty strength towards a direction. Naoto slammed on one of the tomb stones as she lost her grip on her weapon. She could taste blood in her mouth. She looked at the tomb stone and found that it was her mother's. Her father's tomb was beside it.

"So... the end is kind of cliché, right? Ending a life while lying helplessly on her parents' tombs?" Moses picked Naoto's revolver and walked toward her. He aimed the weapon to the blue-haired woman's head. "But still, it's the end and I managed to fulfill my task. So, don't blame me for what had happened... blame your fate..."

Naoto closed her eyes, waiting helplessly for her demise. Tears came out from her eyes and flowed on her cheeks. She wished that someone could help her.

**"Don't move..."**

Moses was startled by hearing that monotonous yet ghastly voice. Before he could realize it, a scout blade was put on his neck as a yellow-eyed man with silver hair, dressed in long coat, standing behind him. Before he could turn back, the silver-haired man released a punch onto his face, sending him towards a tree.

"S-Senpai?!" Naoto could recognized the man even though it was his malevolent form.

**"Go..."** ordered Souji coldly. **"I can't guarantee you can still be alive if you're around..."**

"B-But..."

Before Naoto could say it, a Persona appeared and struck Souji from his side. The Persona sent Souji towards a tomb stone. Then, Moses came into the scene.

"Oh my... isn't that Seta Souji?" Moses smirked. "Now, it makes me feel better..." he took out two rapiers. "Now, it will be fun..."

Souji managed to stand up from the ruins of the mark stones. He assumed a battle stance before he dashed forward to Moses. They exchanged some slashes and parries. Naoto was becoming the spectator.

"Senpai..." Naoto looked at the silverette.

Suddenly, Moses managed to stab Souji's stomach by his rapier. Souji's naginata fell onto the ground and he crouched. Moses laughed maniacally as he spoke. "Hahahahahahaha!! Now, I've defeated you!!" then, he raised his rapier. "Now, prepare to die!!'

As he intended a slash on Souji, the silverette's hand caught Moses' hand in action, making the black-haired man shocked. Souji looked at Moses with a demonic grin and shiny demonic yellow eyes.

**"Or... should I say, prepare to be fooled?"** asked Souji before he twisted Moses'hand before ripping it apart. Moses shrieked in pain before blood could be seen anywhere. Souji nonchalantly threw the ripped hand. The wound on his stomach seemed to vanish.

"Grr... you son of a bitch!!" cursed Moses. "I'll kill you!!" then, he looked at Naoto before he dashed forward to her. He put his rapier on Naoto's neck, much to her surprised. She couldn't move as Moses single hand managed to hold one of her hand. "Try and kill me!!"

"S-Senpai?!" squeaked Naoto.

Souji seemed hesitated to make an attack, but he stepped forward and prepared himself to attack Moses. A botched attack would eventually kill both of them, so he reverted himself back into his human form.

"Let her go, Moses..." said Souji.

"Never!!" shouted Moses. "She's the reason why I'm attacking her!! She holds a power that will surpass you the Eaters if we're using it!!"

"Power?" Naoto seemed confused.

"Let her go..." said Souji. He threw his katana. "I won't attack you if you release her..."

"Heh, in your dream..." said Moses.

Naoto was utterly confused. Then, she heard a whispery voice within her head.

_Shirogane Naoto... now is the time for you to use it..._

"A-Amaterasu?" muttered Naoto.

_The power you want to use to protect those you cherish... use it wisely then..._

Suddenly, Naoto's blue eyes were glowing before some kind of laser-like beam came out from her back, attacking Moses' torso. The man was taken aback, and the attacks were hurting him as the laser-like beam pierced through him. Then, some kind of runic symbol appeared on the ground where Naoto was standing.

"Holding someone as a hostage, what a disgraceful attempt you have made..." said Naoto with monotonous tone. "It makes me sick..." then, her left hand glowed with such a bright blue glow before some kind of laser-like blue blade emerged from her hand.

"What?!" Moses was shocked. "T-That's..."

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi..." muttered Naoto before she used the glowing laser blade to cut Moses already-severed hand.

"Gaaaah!!" Moses shrieked in pain as he lost some more parts of his body. Before he could realize it, the light blade stabbed his chest and the glowing end of the blade could be seen at his back. Then, Naoto pulled the blade out from Moses torso. The man fell limply onto the ground.

"Hmph..." Naoto moved her hand to her side before the blade dissipated. Then, she fell onto the ground.

"Naoto!!" Souji went towards the woman. After that, Minato arrived at the scene.

"Seta, where's Naoto?!" asked Minato desperately. Then, he saw Moses, lying limply on the ground. Then, he looked at Naoto, who was in Souji's arms.

"She's exhausted because of her power..." said Souji. "Apart of that, she'll be fine..."

"Thank goodness..." said Minato. He crouched and took Naoto from Souji's hand and embraced her tightly. "I thought I will lose her again. I'm sorry, Naoto..."

"Minato-san..." Souji looked at Minato with kind eyes.

"This is... unacceptable!!" then, Moses lifted himself. "There's no way for someone like her could defeat me!!" he shouted. "I'll kill her!!" he picked his rapier with his remaining hand and dashed towards the unconscious Naoto who was in Minato's arm.

Minato quickly handed Naoto to Souji and prepared his rapier, standing in front of Moses. He looked at Moses with such threatening eyes.

"Don't ever dare to put your fingers on my sister..." said Minato with such nightmarish tone. Before Moses could reply that, Minato cut Moses' remaining hand, and the hand fell on the ground.

"Graaaah!!" shrieked Moses. Then, Minato grabbed Moses' head and slammed the man's head to a mark stone, and then to other stone, and then to another, without any clue of sympathy to the man. Then, Minato threw Moses forward. Moses' head was badly bleeding.

"Any last word?" asked Minato monotonously.

"A-All hail Orochi!! All hail Orochi!!" even at the brink of his death, Moses still praised his master.

"I see..." Minato closed his eyes. He moved his hand to his left side, preparing to make a diagonal slash which will separate Moses' head and body. "Then, farewell..." Minato separated Moses' head from his body. The decapitated body fell to the ground.

"Orpheus..." muttered Minato, before a semi-mechanical Persona appeared above him. "Burn him..."

The Persona nodded curtly before he plucked the strings of his lyre, producing the sparks of flame which eventually changed into fire that burned Moses' dead body. Without taking a second glance to the burned body, he looked at Naoto, who was held by Souji.

"Bring her to her house, Seta..." ordered Minato. "And, contact her grandfather... and Yakushiji as well..."

"I'll do that, Minato-san..." Souji nodded.

Without their notice, Moses' hand which was separated by Souji, moved by itself, escaping from the cemetary to the direction of Serpent Tail's hideout.

~darkness~

Chapter 42 is finally updated. And, oh goody, reviews have reached 200+, hoho!! Okay, this chapter shows about Naoto's new power, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the great cutter, which essentially almost the same as Yukiko's power, Yata-no-Kagami, the perfect shield. Instead of taking form of a real sword, I make it like laser blade which can come out from any part of Naoto's body (from her back, hand, leg or many others). Okay, about the reviews, I think one of them had mentioned about sterilizing is a simple and realistic measure, but at the same time, would the other Kushinadas obliged by it? It is because apart of Chie's bloodline, the other branches of Kushinada Clan seemed to not know about the Royal Blood and Serpent Tail, as well as Serpent Requiem. What would you expect from them if you're asking them to perform vasectomy (sterilization for women) without any apparent reason? I'm sure that they'll freak out. Anyway, I think that's all. I hope people will read this chapter and not forget to put reviews.

Albireo Imma


	43. Selfless and Selfish

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 43: Selfless and Selfish

A badly-damaged yet still intact torn hand, which was happened to be owned by the deceased Moses, was moving on its own towards an abandoned warehouse. It crept into the abandoned premise through the window. Vineyard, who was reading a magazine, saw the moving hand. She sighed as she put the magazine aside and picked the hand.

"It seems Moses is failed..." said Vineyard. "The opponent is quite awesome though, they managed to make this pathetic thing barely able to return here..."

"He's quite sloppy, isn't it?" commented Solomon with a smirk. "Anyway, Michael..." he looked at the Adjutant of Greed. "It's your specialty, right?"

The mentioned man, a man with white hair just sighed before he stood up. "Then, I'll ask him to pay me more..." he spoke before he went towards Vineyard and took the hand. He closed his eyes before he muttered. "Mammon..."

A Persona, which happened to be a humanoid figure, dressed in tattered brown cloak, appeared above Michael. He handed the hand to the Persona before the ethereal being swallowed the body part. Then, some kind of cocoon-like thing came out from the Persona's mouth and it fell onto the floor.

"It never fails to amuse me..." commented Solomon.

Then, the cocoon cracked before a hand emerged from it. After that, a human being came out from the cocoon and it was Moses, who was seemingly naked. His body was covered with yolk-like liquid.

"How it feels to live again, Moses?" asked Vineyard with a mocking smile.

"Shut the hell up, will you?" bellowed Moses to the woman. The recently-revived man gritted his teeth. "Arisato Minato... that son of a bitch..."

~darkness~

In Naoto's house, Souji and Minato were waiting outside Naoto's room. Ryoji was there as well. Then, the older Shirogane came out from Naoto's room with his assistant, Yakushiji, at his side.

"She's just exhausted..." said Misanori. "She'll be fine tomorrow..."

"That's good to hear, Shirogane-san..." said Souji.

"Seta..." then, Minato spoke. "I think you should return home now. It's already late..." somehow, his tone seemed monotonous.

"How about you, Minato-san?" asked Souji.

He looked at Misanori. "I'll be here for a little while..."

Souji nodded. "Okay then... see you tomorrow..." after that, he walked out from the mansion, leaving Minato, Ryoji, Misanori and Yakushiji.

"Grandfather..." said Minato. "I think you should give me a good explanation for all of these..." his expression seemed stern. "You did realize that Amaterasu had given her that sword, and yet you're not even put at least any repelling charm on her..."

"That's..." Misanori seemed hesitated. "I never thought it would come out like this..."

Minato smiled even though with his stern expression. "I see..." he looked straight on Misanori's cobalt eyes. "So, there will be no regret for both of us..."

Without any warning, Minato released a hard punch on Misanori's face, sending the middle-aged man behind. Yakushiji was shocked by seeing the unexpected attack, instinctively assumed a battle stance, standing in front of Minato and executed an attack.

"That's quite a nice punch you have there, Minato..." commented Ryoji, seemingly amused by the sudden turn of event. As usual, he took a role as a spectator.

Minato's blocked the older man's attack before he made a counterattack by kicking Yakushiji's feet, to make him toppled and fell to the floor. But, as an experienced fighter, Yakushiji managed to regain his balance and took out a scout knife from his suit. Minato who was seeing his opponent had taken out a weapon, taking out his rapier. Before both weapons could clash to each other, a voice stopped both of them.

"Stop it..." it was Misanori. Even though the punch seemed hard, there was no sign of trauma on his face. "It should be enough... he did a right thing, Yakushiji..."

"B-But..." said Yakushiji.

"I know... but he has his own right to punch me..." said Misanori, closing his eyes. "Minato, I'm sorry for what my assistant had done to you..."

Minato smirked. "He's good..." the navy-haired man commented the former soldier.

"Hmm... I'm expecting that from you, Minato..." said Misanori. "Anyway, forgive me for being such a terrible grandfather, at least for Naoto..."

"I'm sorry for punching you too, Grandfather..." said Minato. "But at least that might be able to refresh your mind..." then, he looked at the direction of Naoto's room. "Can we go in?"

"Feel free, Minato..." said Misanori. "You're her brother, but you shouldn't make her knows about that..."

"I'll try..." nodded Minato. Then, both Minato and Ryoji entered the room. Naoto was lying on her bed.

"Naoto..." muttered Minato. He sat on the chair which was located beside Naoto's bed. He took Naoto's hand. "Since you're asleep now, this is my only chance to do this..."

He caressed his sister's hand. "It has been a long time since we last met, right? You're four at that time, so I bet you won't be able to remember that... but I still can remember that you liked to listen to me while I was playing the violin..."

"Mom taught me that, and she even decided to teach you after we returned from Tatsumi Port Island..." said Minato. "But, she never did..." his voice turned melancholic as his eyes became teary. "After the accident, our grandfather abandoned me, but I can't blame him for that... but it eventually separated both of us..."

Then, tears rolled on his cheeks. "I never let any day I had gone through passed just like that without my praying for seeing you again, Naoto. I wish I could be by your side, be a good brother, a good listener, a loyal friend... but, I can't..."

Minato wiped his tears. "I know I can just only say it once... but, believe me..." then, he leaned in, moving his face closer to Naoto's before he kissed her cheek. Then, he whispered to her ear. "I love you..."

Minato stood up and looked at Ryoji. "Let's get back, Ryoji..."

"If you're becoming her brother, you're an awful one, Minato..." said Ryoji while giving his blue-haired counterpart an amused smile.

"Yes, I am..." nodded Minato. "I am such a terrible brother..."

~darkness~

Chie and Yukiko were amazed by seeing the new appearance of the bathroom. Standing behind them was Chie's father, Hiroshi, who was smiling proudly.

"It takes five days to finish that..." said the man. "But, we finally have a large bathroom..."

"Dad..." Chie looked at her father. "No wonder why you covered this place with a black curtain for over five days, and asking us to take a bath in the toilet, but why didn't you just tell us about this?"

"Well... I want to surprise you, that's all..." answered Hiroshi with a shrug. "I got the money for the bathroom's renovation after winning a lottery. So, it you want to know where I got the money, that's the answer..."

Chie sighed. "Well... at least this place is good now, unlike the previous one..." she looked at the bathroom. The bathroom was larger than before, and seemed to be renovated nicely. "Then, Yukiko and I can take a bath together, right?"

"Huh?" Yukiko looked at her best friend. "I haven't called the inn yet, so I'm not sure if I can stay here for another night..."

"Aww... don't say that, Yukiko..." said Chie. "I'm sure they'll allow you..."

"Hmm... I guess it can't be helped..." sighed Yukiko. "Anyway, where's Yosuke-kun?"

"Huh? Now you mention it, I wonder where he is..." said Chie.

At the riverbank near the Mount of Yasogami...

"Too slow!!" Gin parried Yosuke's attack with his kunai. Then, he took some steps behind before he threw his kunais towards the brunette man. Yosuke dodged every kunai that was thrown towards him. Then, Yosuke crouched before a blue card appeared above him. He used his dagger to crush the card, summoning Susano-O of the Magician Arcana.

"Susano-O!!" shouted Yosuke. The Persona casted a massive wind towards Gin. The old man used his arms to cover his face before he jumped backwards and then climbed a tree.

"Gaaah!!" Yosuke dashed towards the tree and leaped onto the branch where Gin was standing. "Take this!!"

"Hmph!!" Gin kicked Yosuke's stomach, but his eyes widened as he saw another copy of Yosuke, intending an attack to another direction.

_This boy is awesome... I never thought he would achieve this level..._

Immediately, Gin grabbed the Yosuke who had been kicked by him on the leg, and used him to hit the approaching copy. Both Yosukes fell onto the ground.

_He wisely uses his speed and agility, and it results him to split his image into two..._

"Ergh..." grunted Yosuke. The other copy had vanished. "My back..."

"Yosuke..." Gin jumped down from the branch. "It's quite admirable to see that, an ability to split yourself into two individuals... you've created a bunshin, multiplied body of yourself..."

"That's..." Yosuke stood up and scratched his head. "I never thought it would work that way... but, when I moved my hand with the way you teach me by controlling my muscle..." he moved his right hand downwards, and as he moved his hand, he seemed to have two right hands. "It became two..."

"Hmm... you're quite something, Yosuke..." said Gin with a smirk. "So, let's end our morning exercise for now..."

"R-Right!" nodded Yosuke. "But, man... you're almost killing me here and yet you're still calling it as a morning exercise?"

"It can't be helped..." shrugged Gin. "But, you shouldn't take it lightly because you're the Knight..." said the old man. "Did you give the locket to her?"

"Oh..." Yosuke took out a locket from his pocket. "I haven't, but I'll give her today..." then he sighed. "I never thought I could be involved into this mess..."

"Hmm..." Gin shrugged. "It's better than being the one who didn't do anything..."

"I guess you're right, Gin-sensei..." said Yosuke. "I guess it's time for us to return..."

~darkness~

Both Yukiko and Chie were having their precious moment together by washing each other's back. Both of them were having their bath together in the newly-renovated bathroom.

"It feels rather good, Chie..." said Yukiko, enjoying the moment of her back being washed by her best friend.

"I agree..." said Chie.

"Chie..." then, Yukiko looked behind. "Do you like Yosuke-kun?"

Chie stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I just rather curious about the relationship between you two, that's all..." said Yukiko.

"Eh?" some moment of silent passed before she snapped. "W-What're you talking about?! There's no way I can 'like' that idiot!!"

"So... you hate him?" asked Yukiko.

"I-I... that's not what I mean..." Chie seemed confused. "Yukiko, please don't ask me about that again, will you?"

"Well, I found that teasing you is much fun than ever..." said Yukiko with a naughty smirk. "C'mon, it's not like your mother didn't agree with that. She did say about your marriage with Yosuke-kun..."

"That won't happen!!" protested Chie.

Suddenly, the sliding door was opened. Both women looked at the direction of the door and found a brunette man, only having his towel on him, standing in front of the door with a petrified expression. The man looked at both naked women who were washing each other.

"Ehehe..." the man, Yosuke laughed nervously. "You two... take your time. I won't be standing on your way..." he took some steps aback after closing the sliding door.

Once again, he was destined to die by the hands of two witches as he heard a sound of the door being opened violently. He turned behind and saw Yukiko and Chie, with their towels on them, holding their harisens. Chie could be seen obviously having her wrathful expression as Yukiko, smiling gently yet an image of hanya (a mask of samurai which resembles an ancient demon) could be seen behind her.

"A pervert man shall perish from the face of the earth!!" declared Chie.

"I'll make him disappear for good this time..." said Yukiko coldly with her smile.

"Please..." plead Yosuke with teary eyes. "Have mercy..."

The memorable day was remembered as a day for Yosuke's execution.

~darkness~

Yurie could help but to laugh her heart off as she heard the story. Yosuke, with his face full with scratches and plasters just groaned.

"Hey, I didn't really see, get it?" groaned Yosuke.

"But, you still saw it, right?" Chie looked at her servant and spoke to him coldly.

"Don't say that, Chie!!" then, Yosuke looked at Yukiko. "Yukiko, please don't make that face again, will you?"

"That punishment wasn't enough..." stated Yukiko. "I won't talk to you ever again..."

"W-What?! C'mon, that's just an accident!!" said Yosuke.

Then, the doorbell rang. Yurie stood up and went to the door. She opened the door and found Souji and Ryoji.

"Good morning, Satonaka-san..." said Souji.

"Ah, Seta-kun... what a surprise, but it's good to see you here..." then, Yurie looked at Ryoji. "And you?"

"It's my pleasure to see you here, Princess Yurie..." Ryoji knelt. "I am Mochizuki Ryoji, a part of Serpent Eaters..." he looked at Yurie. The brunette woman frowned as she saw something odd from Ryoji's face. She could see a glimpse of hollow mask on Ryoji's face.

"Oh, so you're the rumored Death, aren't you?" asked Yurie. "My... Oji-san sure knows many peculiar people..." then, she welcomed them. "Please come in. Make yourselves at home..."

Both Ryoji and Souji entered the house and sat on the couch. Souji realized that Yosuke's face was full with scratches and plasters.

"What's up with your face, Yosuke?" asked Souji to Yosuke as he looked at the brunette man's face.

"That's the punishment for being pervert..." hissed Chie coldly.

"Pervert?" Souji turned his face to Chie.

"He peeped on us when we were having a bath..." explained Yukiko to Souji.

"Yukiko!!" protested Yosuke. "That's just an accident!!"

"So, he saw you too, right?" asked Souji to his girlfriend before she nodded. The silverette stood up and spoke to the older Satonaka. "Satonaka-san, I wish you have at least a spade or something that can be used for digging..."

"Why?" asked Yurie with curiousity.

Souji glanced to Yosuke coldly as he said. "I want to make a grave for him..." he pointed his thumb to the brunette man. "I want to wipe him out of his existence, for being a disgraceful living thing..."

"W-What?!" Yosuke was shocked. "M-Man!! Are you serious?!"

Souji sighed before he looked at his friends. "But, that's the least of our worries though. The reason why we come here is to tell you guys about something which happened last night..."

"Last... night?" asked Yukiko. "What happened last night?"

"Naoto was attacked by Serpent Tail..." said Souji. The statement surprised them.

"Naoto-kun?!" Chie looked at the silverette. "B-But... why?"

"Yeah! What's the reason for them to attack her?" asked Yosuke.

"It seems that Naoto possesses something that can be used by Serpent Tail against the Eaters, so they can gat an easy hold on Chie..." explained Ryoji. "It takes a form of a sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the three sacred treasures, Sanshu-no-Jingi. Kusanagi Sword, the great cutter is the same as your perfect barrier, Yukiko... it's one of Amaterasu's possessions..."

"It's the same as Yata-no-Kagami?" asked Yukiko.

"Indeed." Ryoji nodded. "Yata-no-Kagami which is owned by Yukiko, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi which is owned by Naoto and Yasakani-no-Magatama which is owned by Chie, which I believed still in Yosuke's hand, are three sacred treasures that may bring us, Serpent Eaters, a bigger chance in defeating the Serpent Tail..."

"So, what happened to Naoto?" asked Yosuke.

"Souji and Minato managed to protect Naoto as Minato killed the one who attacked Naoto..." explained Ryoji. "Naoto is under Minato's care, so don't worry that much..."

"Under his care?" mused Yukiko. "Ryoji-kun, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Ryoji looked at his pupil.

"You did say before that Minato-san isn't someone who would waste his energy for something that can be done by telling other people to do it on his behalf..." stated Yukiko. "So, it sounds rather weird for him to put Naoto under his care..."

"How did you know that?" asked Souji.

"Ryoji-kun told me..." answered Yukiko.

"Hmm... now you mention it, that's weird too..." mused Chie. "It's not like I know Minato-san really well, but... it doesn't sound like him at all..."

"Yeah, me too..." nodded Yosuke.

"Hmm... I think it can't be helped then, since you're also the parts of the Eaters..." Ryoji sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you guys the cause, but make sure to keep it secret since only a few know this matter..."

"Are you sure, Ryoji-san?" asked Souji. Ryoji closed his eyes as he nodded.

"Alright. The reason why he puts Naoto under his care is because... Naoto is his biological little sister..." said Ryoji. The revelation brought a sudden shock to the youngsters as Yurie frowned.

"Naoto-kun is... his sister?" asked Yukiko. Ryoji nodded.

"It's a rather long story to be told. But, let me start it with this guy, Arisato Minato, a man who did a selfless action for a selfish reason. It all started with a car crash which eventually changed his life forever..."

~darkness~

Naoto found herself in a cave and she saw Amaterasu, smiling at her.

"We've met again, Naoto..." said Amaterasu with a smile.

"Amaterasu..." said Naoto. "This power, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi... is given by you, right?"

"Indeed..." nodded Amaterasu. "You are the honored owner of the sword, Shirogane Naoto, use it wisely..."

Then, Amaterasu looked at a certain direction.

"And... I've heard a voice, calling for you..." stated Amaterasu. "It's distant, weak, yet it's constant, yearning to make itself visible to you..."

"Voice?" Naoto frowned. Then, she heard a voice, calling her name. "Y-Yeah, I hear it. But, what does it suppose to mean?"

"It means..." Amaterasu walked towards Naoto and put her slender hand on Naoto's cheek. "Anything to you. Past, present and future..."

Naoto looked at Amaterasu's black eyes before the pupils turned red, same like Tsukuyomi and Izanami.

"Sometime, truth can be attained by a single action rather than a merely exchange of words, and the same goes to the lies..." said the red-eyed deity. "Both of them are two sides of a same coin, same like Persona and Shadows, black and white, light and darkness..." she closed her eyes before reopened them, and their color reverted back into their dull black shade. "Truth and lies are something that can't be avoided in your life, so... be aware of it..."

"I-I... I don't understand..." uttered Naoto.

"Time will eventually come for you to fully understand it..." said Amaterasu with a gentle smile. "Someday, you will find a path which may lead you to either the truth or the lies... and in the middle of the journey in the path; you will find what you have been searching for..."

"I-Is it... the truth that you've been saying?" asked Naoto.

"That's..." the deity of sun lowered her gaze. "I didn't even foresee. But believe me... you will eventually find it..."

Then, Naoto's vision blurred before it darkened.

"Good luck, my dear..."

~darkness~

Naoto opened her eyes and found herself on her bed. She looked beside her and saw a navy-haired man, sitting vigilantly on a chair beside the bed.

"Good morning, Shirogane-san..." said Minato with a gentle smile. "It's good to see that you're okay..."

"Minato-san?" Naoto seemed confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm... I'm just paying you a visit..." replied Minato. "Last night, you're attacked, remember?"

Naoto tried to reminisce the incident of the last night. She could clearly remember that she had fought Moses. "I remember that..." she nodded.

"Good..." said Minato. "I guess you'll be alright to be left for now..." Minato stood up. "I'll call you later, and it will be an important call for you..."

Without waiting for a reply, Minato walked out from Naoto's room. Then, the navy-haired man sighed before he leaned himself on the wall.

"I'll make you as a part of Serpent Eaters, Naoto..." the bluenette muttered to himself. "Then, I'll do whatever it takes to protect you..."

Eventually, he coughed again and blood could be seen from his mouth.

"Even if I have to put my life on the line..."

~darkness~

Hmm... it seems that I've updated this story a bit late, am I? Whatever... Anyway, chapter 43 is done for the reviewers. I believe that I've read a review which states that I shouldn't make the story too ridiculous. Hmm... it's alright, and that's the first time for me to receive such a review. Haha, it's alright. Actually, I've planned such thing since the beginning, so just bear with me because I'll proceed with I've done now. And about the cake and the lobster, isn't it easier for us to separate both cake and lobster? To make it blunt, just put the sceptism away and just enjoy the story. That's all. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	44. The Mysterious Feeling

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 44: The Mysterious Feeling

_My children... the time has come..._

"Indeed, master..." nodded Charles. "The world will celebrate the day of your rebirth..."

"Master, the preparation is completed. The sacrificial ceremony will begin anytime. We have prepared you some fresh blood so you can achieve your Avatar form..." said Vineyard. Then, she looked at Solomon. "Solomon, take those people out from the containers..."

Solomon went towards the direction of the mentioned containers and he opened them, revealing some unconscious civilians, might probably be abducted from Inaba. "Some would-be sacrificed people comin' right up!"

Solomon dragged those civilians, three girls into a circlet, when a single mirror was in the middle of the circlet. Somehow, one of the victims woke up. The victim, a girl teenager was surprised to see her surrounding, which was an interior of an abandoned warehouse. Then, she saw Solomon, smirking evilly to her.

"W-Who're you?!" asked the girl. She seemed scared. "What're you doing to me?!"

"It doesn't matter anyway, mortal..." answered Solomon. "You will make a good side meal for our master though..."

"W-What?!" exclaimed the girl. Solomon could see fear on the girl's expression.

"Let's begin the ceremony..." announced Charles.

Solomon stepped out from the circlet, leaving those three girls in the drawing. Vineyard seemed to mutter something which couldn't be understood. Then, the circlet glowed, making the other two girls to wake up. Same like the previous girl, they were surprised to see where they were.

"Where are we?!" one of the girls seemed awfully worried. They tried to move but to no avail as they were tied by some kind of unearthy-looking ropes.

"Master... please enjoy the meal..." said Charles, closing his eyes.

The light shifted its color from white to green as all the girls screamed in agony. It seemed that something was coming out from their body as the mirror seemed to absorb the thing. As the process continued, the body of those girls wrinkled and shriveled, turning them like mummified bodies.

After some while, the ceremony completed and the light dissipated. The girls thudded on the floor limply as they looked like mummies. In the middle of the circlet was figure, taking form of a man, dressed in black trench coat. The man with red hair opened his eyes, revealing a pair of ghostly yet glowing green orbs.

"Welcome back, master..." Charles knelt to the human form of his master. Vineyard and Solomon also knelt to him. The man looked on his palm curiously before he went towards one of the mummified body. He picked the body with one of his hands before the some kind of green flame engulfed the body, burning it into ashes.

"I am Orochi..." said the man. "I am the great serpent..."

~darkness~

"So, that concludes the story..."

Ryoji told Yukiko, Chie and Yosuke about Minato. Yurie seemed to listen about Minato's past as well as Souji seemed to have already heard about it.

"I... I never thought Minato-san had faced such a hardship..." said Yukiko.

"You're right, Yukiko..." nodded Chie. "Losing his parents in early age, being abandoned as a kid, moving from place to place, dead as a martyr without being notice by most... man, that's harsh..."

"That sounds terrible too..." agreed Yosuke.

"That's Minato, the man who wears many masks to conceal his true face. He depends on those masks to ensure his living, but the masks aren't too hard to be broken. Sometimes, they can be too hard to break, but there is a time when the masks can be easily broken, especially when he has to face something that is associated with his true face..."

"True... face?" Yukiko was confused. "What do you mean, Ryoji-kun?"

"All the time, he acted as a bystander or a perfect listener. He listened to other people about their problems, giving him an advantage to make more masks on his own. But, as the problem began to revolve about himself, the masks would become fragile, easy enough to be crushed..." explained Ryoji. "And one example of the problem is about his sister, Naoto..."

"Oh..." then, Yosuke seemed to understand about it. "So, Minato-san is alright if he's listening to the others about their own problems, but he's doomed if he had to deal with his own problem, right?"

"That's the idea so far, Yosuke..." nodded Ryoji. "Because, Minato only shows his false faces and hides his real one. The truth is, he uses his false faces, which take form of hard masks to cover his fragile, easy to break, true self..."

"I see..." mused Yukiko. "So, how should we help him?"

Ryoji smiled to his apprentice. "Yukiko-ojouchan... as usual, you're being too kind. I would be delighted if you help him in any way you could..." then, the black-haired man lowered his gaze as he spoke with melancholic tone. "I don't know how should I help him out if this hands..." he looked on his palms. "...had taken many things away from him..."

"Ryoji-kun..." Chie looked at Ryoji.

"Well, that's enough for now, I guess..." said Ryoji, reverting himself into his usual cheerful self. "Ah, I have something to talk with you, Yurie-san..." he spoke to Chie's mother.

"Alright..." nodded Yurie as she stood up. Then, she looked at Souji. "Seta-kun, if you want a spade, I've prepared it a while ago under the table..."

"Thank you..." nodded Souji. Then, he glared to Yosuke with such venomous glare ever being made by the mentioned silverette. "Then, I can bury this despicable living thing without regret..."

"W-What?! Souji, are you SERIOUS?!" exclaimed the brunette man.

Yukiko smiled innocently yet seemed diabolical to Yosuke. "Yosuke-kun, did we mention that we have forgiven you before? We didn't, right?"

"Yukiko, don't make that scary face again, will you?" plead Yosuke.

"Never before the heavenly punishment that will be sentenced upon you after this, my loyal pervert servant..." said Chie with an evil smirk. "Souji-kun, drag him out. We'll bury him out today..."

"I am under your command for now, Hime-sama..." replied Souji an evil smile curved on his lips. Then, he grabbed Yosuke's hand. "I'm sorry, Yosuke... but this is for your own good for now..."

"No!! Souji, please don't do this, okay?!" Yosuke tried to free himself from Souji's grip.

"You are not allowed to resist, Yosuke!!" ordered Chie, seemed to abuse her power to put Yosuke into submissive again.

"Ergh... I am under your command, Hime-sama..." nodded Yosuke before he groaned. "Grrr... that's cheating..."

Thus, Souji dragged Yosuke out from the house and the punishment began.

Meanwhile, Ryoji and Yurie were having a discussion.

"I bet you're having fun to tell those kids about Arisato-kun, right?" said Yurie with a smirk.

"Well, that's true, part of it..." shrugged Ryoji. "Anyway, I have a message from Kurosawa and I think you should know it too since you're a heiress in your time..." said the black-haired man with a solemn tone. "It's about Orochi..."

"Oh..." mused Yurie. "Tell me about it..."

"Have you heard about humanification of great beasts?" asked Ryoji. "If you don't know about it, it is a process of humanizing the divine beast or spirit into its human form, or Avatar form, just like me..." explained Ryoji.

"It seems that Serpent Tail had done something that can transform their leader into Avatar form, a human form..." continued Ryoji. "I don't know how they did it, but as far as concerned, they used sacrificial method to do such thing. It is confirmed by the missing of three female students some days ago. We, the Eaters had confirmed that three girls wer sacrificed to Orochi so that snake can take its human form..."

"I see..." nodded Yurie. "That's quite a predicament..."

"So, I would like to ask you to teach your daughter, Chie..." said Ryoji. "...on how to perform scouting. Well, you know, the ability to communicate with animals to do spying and scouting on your behalf..."

"I'll work for it..." Yurie closed her eyes. "I will do whatever it takes to protect her anyway..."

"That's good to hear, Yurie-san..." said Ryoji. "Well, I'm off..."

At Satonaka's Residence's backyard...

"H-Help... me..."

Yosuke's body was completely buried in the ground as his head remained on the ground. Yukiko, as usual, was laughing by seeing the poor brunette man underwent the punishment. Chie also laughed heartily by looking at Yosuke. Souji chuckled as he put the spade on his shoulder.

"Hahahahahahaha!! That's too funny!!" Yukiko laughed as she pressed her stomach.

"No... this isn't even funny at all..." groaned the half-buried man. "Take me out of here, dammit!!"

"No, Yosuke... you aren't allowed to get out from there until tonight. So, have fun..." said Chie before she and the still-laughing Yukiko went into the house.

"You hear that? Tonight..." said Souji before he followed those two women into the house, leaving the half-buried man alone. Now, he had many time to reminisce about his life while being buried in the ground.

"Geez... I wonder if gods really hate me..." sighed Yosuke.

No, They are just having fun while putting you under such ridiculous hardships, Yosuke...

~darkness~

Mitsuru entered the specialized room and frowned as she saw Yukari, reading the documents about Shadows. The brunette woman in pink dress realized Mitsuru's presence before she put the document on the nearby table and bowed apologetically to her.

"I-I'm sorry for intruding, Mitsuru-senpai..." said Yukari apologetically.

"No, that's okay..." said Mitsuru. "This place is specialized for SEES, so you're free to have the access for the documents. But, I wonder why you're here, Yukari..."

"That's..." Yukari looked at the document she was reading. "I'm searching the information about reality-bending device from Shadows..." said Yukari.

"Oh..." Mitsuru frowned. "I never thought you would even search for that..."

"N-No, don't get me wrong, senpai! It just..." Yukari lowered her gaze. "...if I can do something about Minato-kun..."

"Hmm..." Mitsuru smiled. "I know about that, Yukari... he told me before that he would eventually die, right?"

Yukari was surprised before she looked at her senior's face. "So, you know it, right?"

"I guess..." shrugged Mitsuru.

Then, Yukari sighed. "T-This is unfair. Why should he die after all this time?"

"Yukari..." Mitsuru looked at the brunette woman with kind eyes. "I'm sorry for that, Yukari, but we don't know much about him to justify our decision..."

"So, what should we do?" asked Yukari.

"Have faith in him..." said Mitsuru reassuringly. "It's not like he's weak at all..."

~darkness~

Naoto arrived at Tatsuhime Shrine in the evening and found Minato with an old man. She entered the shrine's ground. "I've come, Minato-san..."

"Glad to see you here, Naoto..." said Minato as he smiled to the blue-haired female detective. "We have something for you. First of all, this is Gin..." he gestured to the old man beside him. Naoto looked at both Minato and Gin with puzzled look.

"Let's make it clear, shall we?" said Gin. "Shirogane Naoto, would you like to join us to fight the evil on earth? To protect the humanity from utter destruction and be a part of salvation? If you want, we will grant you a membership in our group, Serpent Eaters..."

"Serpent Eaters?" Naoto looked at Gin. "What is that?"

"I'll explain it later, if you're willing to join us..." said Minato. "And, I'm sure those people who want something from you would pursue you again, so about joining us will ensure your safety..." continued to blue-haired man. "About your newfound power, I'll personally teach you how to use it..."

"Minato-san..."

"We'll give you a day to think about it..." said Minato. "But, I hope a positive reply from you, Shirogane Naoto. You may leave for now..."

As the discussion finished, Naoto excused herself and walked out from the shrine's ground, leaving Minato and Gin. The old man looked at the navy-haired man expectedly.

"Is that good for you, Minato?" asked Gin.

"That should be enough..." nodded Minato. "It will give me a good chance to have enough time with her before my supposed death..."

"Oh. You're quite soft, aren't you?"

"That's what I really am, Gin..."

~darkness~

After being buried alive with only head outside, finally Yosuke was freed from the punishment. He had to take a good bath because he was covered by dirts after being taken out from the ground. As he walked out from the bathroom, he found Souji, sitting alone on the couch at the living room.

"What's up, Souji?" asked Yosuke.

"I have something important to tell you, Yosuke..." said Souji. "Put on your clothes first..."

After putting on his clothes, both of them were having a serious discussion outside of the house.

"So, what's up, Souji?" asked Yosuke again. "Is it have something to do with burying me again?"

"No..." Souji shook his head. "It's more about... me. The only reason for me to tell you about this is because I trust you as a good friend. It's not like I don't trust others, but you're my first combat partner who fought alongside me, and you're my first best friend..."

"Uhh... okay. I'll listen to you..." nodded Yosuke.

Souji breathed in and out before he began to spoke. "Somehow, I felt something was odd about my new power. I could feel something sinister will take over the event and I'm afraid it would be the worst than I thought. This power seems to eradicate my sanity and humanity and it only a matter of time before I lose it..."

"Souji..." Yosuke looked at the silverette.

"So, as a best friend, would you make me a favor?" asked Souji.

Yosuke nodded. "I will..."

"If the time has come, could you please..." somehow, Souji's left eye turned yellow. "Kill me?"

Thus, a path of destruction had been made for a certain mortal named Seta Souji.

~darkness~

"My children, are you ready?" the red-haired man with black trench coat spoke to his adjutants. His seven adjutants were standing behind him. All of them nodded.

"We are under your command, Orochi-sama..." said Charles.

"Good..." Orochi smiled before he looked forward. "Then, let's give the world a better view about us, the Serpent Tail. Let us make them realize our very existence..."

The serpents had finally released to bring chaos upon earth...

~darkness~

Naoto took her cell phone after thinking about Minato's invitation. She had made her mind as she called the man.

_Minato's speaking..._

"Minato-san, I've made my decision..." said Naoto. "I'll join you people..."

~darkness~

Phew, the story is finally updated. Chapter 44 is out for reviewers. This story seems to be very slow but expect the actions in the later chapter. Well, I don't have many things to talk here, so as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	45. Calamity

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 45: Calamity

"It's awfully cloudy today..." muttered Kanji as he gazed to the sky. The sky seemed very dark.

The man with bleached hair was standing in front of his family's shop, Tatsumi Textile Shop. Some moments earlier, he helped his mother in daily chores before he excused himself and went out from the shop.

Without his realization, one of those from Serpent Tail, Michael, was walking on the street before he took out a metal rod.

"Let's begin the requiem..." the man with white hair muttered.

~darkness~

Naoto met up with Minato at Tatsuhime Shrine. Her expression seemed solemn as she entered the shrine's ground.

"Good to see you here, Shirogane..." said Minato. "I'm glad you're accepting our offer..."

"Minato-san, I never thought you would ever ask me to join you people into such an elusive organization." Naoto spoke. "I've performed a research about this Serpent Eaters, and it seems it is extremely protected by the government, but I managed to hack the system and learned the truth behind this organization..."

Minato frowned. "Oh, tell me how much you've known about us..."

"Serpent Eaters had been mentioned once during World War II and the man who supported the organization was the Emperor Meiji. Then, 25 years ago, the organization also being mentioned..." said Naoto. "But the most appealing part I've learned about Serpent Eaters is this..." she took out a paper and handed it to Minato. It was a family chart of Kushinada's bloodline.

"No matter which events I've read, all of them have this..." said Naoto. "This chart is known as 'The Divine Blood' or 'Imperial Family' in Internet. But, if you're really associated with this organization, could you tell me if it's really true?"

Minato looked at the chart. "Indeed. You're good at hacking, Shirogane... anyway, this is not a hoax, and it is for real..." said Minato. "And, you've read the lowest part of the chart, right?"

"I've read it..." nodded Naoto. "It gave me a shock when I first read this thing... but, as I thought about this; it would be fine if I joined you people. Furthermore, Chie-senpai is my friend..." said the blue-haired detective.

"Excellent." Minato smiled. "I'm counting on you, Naoto-kun. We, the Eaters are welcoming you to be a part of us..."

Suddenly, Minato felt a very familiar feeling before he looked at a certain direction. "But, we have no time to celebrate it. As we're talking here, they're already there..."

"They?" asked Naoto.

"The Serpent Tail..."

~darkness~

Michael was standing in front of Kanji as he looked at Tatsumi Textile Shop. Kanji frowned as he looked at the weird-looking man.

Suddenly, an ethereal figure emerged from Michael's back, much to Kanji's surprise. The humanoid creature in brown tattered cloak fired an Almighy missile towards the shop. Instinctively, Kanji dashed himself away from the shop to prevent being hit by flying debris.

"What?!" Kanji was shocked as he saw the shop was ruined. He dashed back into the damaged shop to search his mother. "Ma! Where are you?!" he searched his mother within the ruins. He used his hands to remove the debris and found his mother, seemed to have no injuries apart of some bruises and scratches but seemed to be in shock.

"Kanji-chan, what's going on?" asked the mother.

"Ma, I'll bring you outta here!" he lifted his mother and dashed into the street. Then, he saw Michael, smiling evilly towards him. Somehow, the smile managed to piss the man off. Kanji went towards the Aiya's owner. "Please take care of my ma..."

Then, Kanji walked towards the white-haired man. "Who are you?!"

"Your worst nightmare..." said Michael before he swung his metal rod towards Kanji. The bleached-haired man blocked the attack with his hands. He kicked Michael's torso, sending him behind.

_Shit! I can't use my Persona here!!_

"What's wrong?" asked Michael mockingly. "Are you scared?"

"Grrr... to hell with that!! Gaaaah!!" he released a powerful punch and Michael blocked the punch with his metal rod. But the metal weapon couldn't withstand Kanji's brute force as the metal rod broke into two pieces.

"Hmm... I know what's in your mind..." mused Michael. "Chase me, if you can..." then, Michael ran away.

"Shit! Nobody can run away from Tatsumi Kanji!!" shouted Kanji. He dashed towards Michael, following him towards the direction of Samegawa Riverbank.

Several minutes later, Kanji arrived at the riverbank. He panted heavily as he exhausted himself by running. Then, Michael came with a metal rod in his hand. The metallic weapon elongated and a scythe-like blade emerged from every tip of the rod. "I've been expecting you, Tatsumi Kanji. Nobody is here, so you are free to use your Persona..."

"Go to hell!!" he pulled out a wooden signboard before he was surrounded by azure light. "Rokuten Maoh!!" he used the signboard to crush an appearing card. A Persona, Rokuten Maoh of the Emperor Arcana appeared above him. The massive Persona dashed forward as he swung his fire-like blade.

"Mammon!!" shouted Michael, summoning Mammon, a Persona of the Tower Arcana. The humanoid-shaped Persona, dressed in tattered brown cloak and armed with two-bladed scythe, appeared and parried Rokuten Maoh's blade. An electrified explosion occurred. Before Kanji could do anything, Michael dashed forward with his scythe in his hand, prepared to cleave the man into halves.

"Die!!" Michael shouted as he swung the scythe.

Tang!!

Instead of cutting Kanji into halves, the scythe was parried by a rapier. Standing in front of Kanji was a blue-haired man in black trench coat, Minato. Then, the bluenette took out his Evoker and put the tip of the summoning device on his temple.

"Orpheus!!"

Orpheus, mechanical-shaped Persona of Fool Arcana, appeared above his summoner. He plucked his lyre's string before Michael was surrounded by appearing fire. The adjutant of Greed spun his scythe around, creating a wind trail which extinguished the flame. Before he could prepare himself after extinguishing the flame, Minato performed a downwards slash. Michael raised the scythe and blocked the attack. He took some steps aback.

"You are... Arisato Minato, right?" asked Michael.

"I am..." nodded Minato. Then, Naoto arrived at the scene.

"Kanji-kun, are you alright?" asked Naoto to the bleached-haired man.

"I-I'm fine!" replied Kanji nervously.

"Then, I won't restrain myself for that..." Michael spun his scythe around before he assumed a battle stance. "Feel the horror of the Serpent Tail!!"

"..." Minato looked at the adjutant of Greed before he hummed. Then, he looked at Naoto. "Naoto-kun, would you like to test your new power?"

"W-What?!" Naoto was surprised. "I mean, what does that suppose to mean?"

"I want to see your power against him. And you, Tatsumi-kun... would you like to help Naoto-kun out?" he looked at Kanji.

"Uhh..." Kanji seemed hesitated. "I guess... I'll do it..." he nodded.

"Good..." Minato stepped aback as he gave those two youngsters a chance to fight one of the adjutants of Serpent Tail. "I'm counting on you two..."

Naoto reluctantly nodded before she stepped forward before she took out her revolver. Kanji stood beside her and prepared himself to make a strike.

"Huh? You're giving me these two? You're not fun at all!!" said Michael, looking at both Kanji and Naoto.

"Don't underestimate us, you son of a bitch!!" shouted Kanji. "Alright, Persona!!" he swung the wooded signboard to crush a blue card. Rokuten Maoh appeared and casted a massive electricity attack onto Michael. The adjutant dodged the attack, but Naoto aimed her revolver towards him and shot several bullets. Quickly, Michael blocked the bullets with his scythe, but one of the bullets hit his right hand.

"Urgh!!" grunted Michael. "Dammit!! Now I'm pissed! Die!!" he summoned Mammon and casted an Almighty spell towards Kanji and Naoto. Kanji instinctively stepped in front of Naoto and shielded her with his own body.

"Kanji-kun!!" cried Naoto.

"No worries, Naoto..." said Kanji as he smirked to cover his pain he obtained. "There's no problem at all-urgh!!" he fell to his knees. "Dammit!!"

"Kanji-kun!! Hang on!" Naoto put her hand on one of Kanji's shoulders. "I'll heal you!!" she rummaged her pocket to take out a potion or medicine, but before she could take out anything, Michael dashed and hit Naoto's head with his unbladed metal rod, sending her behind.

"Naoto!!" shouted Kanji. "Dammit, you're the worst living thing I've ever seen, gaaah!!" Kanji stood up and abandoned his weapon and punched the white-haired man's face with such a hard punch, sending him flying into the river.

"Naoto!! Are you alright?!" asked Kanji, walked towards the lying Naoto.

Minato couldn't do anything as he made his mind to not interfere, even though as he saw Naoto being hit by Michael, he could feel a sudden temptation to separate that man's head from his body. But, he preferred to remain nonchalant as he leaned himself on the tree.

Naoto looked at Kanji. Her head was bleeding. "I-I'm alright..." she tried to stand up. Suddenly, she saw Michael who was jumping out from the river and aiming to attack Kanji with his scythe.

"Look out!!" shouted Naoto before she hugged Kanji, took the man's place and protected him from being attacked by Michael. The tip of the scythe stabbed Naoto's back. "Aahhh!!" she cried in pain.

"Naoto!!" this time, Minato couldn't resist the temptation before he took out his rapier and jumped towards Michael. His eyes turned into glowing blue as he intended a slash towards Michael. The adjutant parried the attack before both of them began a duel.

"Take care of her, Tatsumi!!" ordered Minato to Kanji. The man nodded.

"Hmm... why do you submit into your temptation as I injured her?" asked Michael. "Is that person..." he looked at Naoto. "...someone who is very important to you?"

"There's none of your business!!" shouted Minato before he summoned Orpheus. "Orpheus!!"

The Persona of the Fool Arcana appeared and swung his metallic lyre onto Michael. The adjutant dodged the attack before he locked his sight onto Naoto.

"But, I don't like a long fight..." said Michael. "I'll rather prefer a short one, like this..." he dashed towards the lying Naoto, much to Minato's surprise.

"Don't attack her!!" shouted Minato.

Suddenly, Naoto's eyes glowed before she stood up. The wound she obtained before seemed to vanish as some kind of vapor could be seen from her back. She unloaded her revolver, taking out all of its bullets. She looked at Michael with her majestic glowing blue eyes.

"You make me sick..." said Naoto before she aimed her revolver to Michael. Then, the revolver's color shifted from its dull black color into shiny blue. "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi..." she muttered the words before she pulled the trigger, firing a glowing blue projectile from the end of her revolver. The glowing laser-like projectile wounded Michael's face.

"What the?!" exclaimed Kanji.

"Shit!!" cursed Michael. "I'll kill you, bitch!!" he raised his scythe, but before he could execute any attack, he heard a voice within his head.

_Greed, the Requiem's preparation is completed. Your master had summoned you to his side..._

"Oh..." Michael lowered his weapon. "I'm off..." he jumped onto an electrical pole and vanished.

As Naoto lowered her revolver, the gun exploded, much to her surprise. "Oww... my hand..."

"I see... you can use your gun as a medium for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi..." said Minato. "Anyway, are you alright?" asked Minato.

"I'm alright..." nodded Naoto. "But, I'm worried about Kanji-kun. He sustained quite a heavy damage a while ago..." she looked at Kanji with a concerned look.

"I'm okay, see?" said Kanji. "But, Minato-san, what was that about?"

"I'll tell you later..." said Minato. "And by seeing you, I've got an idea..." he looked at Kanji. "Would you like to join us, the Serpent Eaters?"

"Eh?"

~darkness~

"I'm home..." Souji entered the house. He found Nanako, sitting in front of television and watching a TV show.

"Welcome back, big bro!" greeted Nanako happily.

Souji sat beside Nanako. "So, where's your father?" asked Souji.

"He received another call..." replied Nanako. "Maybe it's because of that incident at Junes... that's scary..."

Souji could sense that Nanako was in fear as she knew that there was a case of massacre at Junes. "Nanako, don't worry... I'll protect you..." he knew that he was lying, since he knew that his power was slowly assimilating his soul, corrupting it in the process. It was only a matter of time before his heart could not longer be saved, and the only salvation is to end his own life. He put his trust for putting an end of his life to his best friend, Yosuke, if the time has come.

"Big bro..." Nanako looked at her beloved cousin's face before she frowned. "Big bro, what's up with your right eye? It's yellow..."

Souji was surprised. He stood up and looked at the mirror near the cabinet. He saw his right eyes was in shade of glowing yellow. After some while, the orb reverted back into its usual gray shade.

"Are you alright?" asked Nanako. "You look worried..."

"N-Nothing! Don't worry about me..." said Souji before he went upstairs and entered his room.

Nanako stared at the direction of the stairway. "Big bro..."

Meanwhile, in Souji's room...

"Dammit..." he put his right hand on his yellow eye. "This is hard than I thought..."

He placed his hand on his chest.

"It's only a matter of time before this soul of mine will be corrupted by darkness..."

~darkness~

"Ryoji, I know this is all of a sudden, but you might want to see this..." said Mitsuru. They were currently inside a lab in Mitsuru's house.

"I don't mind..." said Ryoji. "If it has to do with Minato, I'll accept it without any question..."

"That's good to hear..." Mitsuru smiled. "About the Shadow's blood, I've found a very interesting information about it..." she took out a document from a shelf. "It's extremely volatile which the same like the properties of alcohol is. But, it's lacking of blood cells, but I found this..." she handed the document to Ryoji. The raven-haired man read the document before one of his eyebrows raised.

"Unknown element..." said Ryoji. "I know it... instead of iron and blood cells, my blood and the shadows' blood consisted of this element. In ancient time, this unidentified element is known as a pure element and was considered holy. It gives a perfect advantage for Shadows that manage to assume a human form; the blood will give them advantage in perfect knowledge and stuff like that..."

"But, I bet it's different for human to have a Shadow's properties within his body, right?" asked Mitsuru.

"Exactly!" nodded Ryoji. "For humans, Shadow's blood isn't suitable for their living, and the element in Shadow's blood will eradicate anything within human's body, as you can see at Minato... he only has some months to live due to the presence of my blood within his body..."

"Now, that's a total headache..." said Mitsuru. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find any solution for that..." she looked at Ryoji apologetically. "I know that he's going to die soon, but... this field is far too complex for us to study..."

"That's okay, Mitsuru..." said Ryoji with a smile. "I wish I can do something for him, but..." he smiled sadly. "There's no hope for him left..."

~darkness~

Igor closed his eyes before he opened them. A blue butterfly perched on one of his book, much to his surprise.

"It's a surprise to see you here, master..." said Igor. The butterfly flew on Igor's finger. "Your sudden appearance means... the world is already in verge on its destruction, am I wrong? Just like Nyarlathotep had done before..."

_Igor... the time has come... the wheel of fortune is ready to be turned..._

"Indeed, master Philemon..." he smirked. "I'm looking forward for that moment..."

~darkness~

Orochi, along with his faithful servants, who had dressed themselves in black trench coats, were standing in front of a TV broadcasting building. The human form of the great serpent smirked before he raised his right hand and releasing some kind of green flame.

"Let's begin the first step for our Requiem!!" announced Orochi.

~darkness~

Chapter 45 is out! Thank you for those who are reviewing this story. I'm rather delighted to see so many reviews for this story. Anyway, about Souji, expect a very twistful turn of event. I come across an idea to make all Persona-users to be a part of the Eaters, but I should make it in sort of dramatically way (like I did to Kanji just now). For this chapter, I would like to give you a list of Amaterasu's Sacred Treasure, or Imperial Regalia, Yata-no-Kagami, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and Yasakani-no-Magatama.

Yata-no-Kagami (八咫鏡)

Recent owner: Amagi Yukiko (Kushinada Clan)

Info: Yata-no-Kagami is a mirror which is possessed by Amaterasu, sun deity in Shintoism. It represents 'wisdom' and 'honesty', suiting for Yukiko's personality. The name literally means 'The Eight Hand Mirror', which may represent the size of the mirror. It takes a shape of invisible barrier which can be formed at any side of its caster (Yukiko) and all attacks are essentially useless against it. The real shape of the mirror is seemingly unknown as Amaterasu transferred the mirror via a hand touch in Yukiko's dream.

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草薙劍)

Recent owner: Shirogane Naoto (Kuzunoha Clan)

Info: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is a sword which was once possessed by the great serpent, Yamata-no-Orochi. As Susano-O defeated the serpent, he took the sword and gave the sword as a reconcilement present for his sister, Amaterasu. The sword represents 'valor' and 'bravery', aspects that can be seen in Naoto as a character. It is also known as Amano-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, which literally means 'Sword of Gathering Clouds of Heaven'. As an artifact, it takes a shape into blue-colored laser-like blade which can be taken out from any of its caster's (Naoto) body's parts. Same like the mirror, the sword's real form is currently unknown as Amaterasu transferred the sword via a hand touch in Naoto's dream.

Yasakani-no-Magatama (八尺瓊曲玉)

Recent owner: Satonaka Chie (Kushinada Clan)

Info: Yasakani-no-Magatama is a locket or amulet which is one of Amaterasu's magical artifacts. Instead of being possessed by her, it is kept safe in Royal Palace and is under a strict surveilance by royal guards. It represents 'benevolence' and 'kindness', aspects that can be seen in Chie as a character, as well as the heiress of Royal Blood. Among all sacred treasures, this artifact has its physical form, which is an amulet or locket that can be worn by its owner (Chie). This artifact has an ability to summon the other two owners of sacred treasures (Yukiko and Naoto) and is able to execute a powerful yet forbidden spell, which can only be used against Orochi, Sanshu-no-Jingi (三種の神器). It also provides an essential if not a perfect protection against Yamata-no-Orochi and Serpent Tail. The people who can have instant access to this amulet at the Royal Palace are Shirogane Misanori (current head of Shirogane Clan), Susano-O with pseudonym 'Gin' (god of Tempest and the leader of Serpent Eaters), the heiresses and Hanamura Yosuke (the current Royal Knight of Kushinada's heiress).

As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma,


	46. Mala Suerte

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 46: Mala Suerte

A security guard realized the presence of a group of people who were dressed in suspicious black trench coats before he went towards them.

"What can I help you?" asked the security guard towards the group. Orochi looked at the man with his glowing green eyes, much to the guard's surprise, before the red-haired man raised his hand and touched the guard's forehead with his finger.

"There's no need for you to know..." Orochi smirked, before the guard's eyes widened in horror as he seemed to see something terrible from Orochi's face. Without warning, the guard's head exploded and the blood splattered everywhere. The headless dead guard fell limply to the floor.

"Kyaah!!"

Orochi looked at the direction of the scream, and saw a woman, dressed in reporter's uniform, seemingly scared as she seemed to see what was happening.

"Ohh... that's wonderful..." said Orochi with a malign smile before he looked at Charles. "You know what to do, Wrath..."

"Indeed, master..." nodded Charles before he looked at the woman. He went towards the woman as he took out a silver dagger. The woman was terrified and she took some steps aback. Then, she tripped on her legs and fell onto the floor.

"Please..." plead the woman tearfully. "Don't kill me..."

"I'm sorry..." said Charles monotonously before he placed the tip of his dagger on the reporter's throat. "I'll make it easy for you, woman..." he closed his eyes. "It won't be too painful..."

Charles pushed his dagger into the woman's throat, instantly killing her. Her eyes were wide open before the adjutant of Wrath placed his palm on the woman's face, closing the opened eyes. He pulled out the weapon from the woman's neck and let the dead woman thudded on the floor limply.

"It's done..." said Charles. "Let's proceed with our Requiem..."

~darkness~

"What is this?" asked Chie as Yosuke handed her a locket. Both of them were sitting on the couch at the living room in Chie's house.

"Just take it..." replied Yosuke. "That's Yasakani-no-Magatama or whatever, that old man Gin gave this to me. He said you should wear it because it can protect you from those people... I mean Serpent Tail..."

"Ehh..." Chie tilted her head. "I see... but I wonder what is this about..." she looked on the locket.

"Chie, that's Yasakani-no-Magatama..." then, Chie's mother, Yurie came. "I had worn it once when I was a heiress. It provides you a good protection against Serpent Tail, and it connects you with the other two sacred treasures and their owners..."

"Huh?" Chie looked confused. "Sacred treasures?"

"You've heard that Yukiko has a technique named 'Yata-no-Kagami', right? And Naoto has a technique named 'Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi'... Yata-no-Kagami and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi are two sacred treasures which are owned by Amaterasu..." explained Yurie. "Oji-san told me before that both Naoto and Yukiko got these treasures from Amaterasu in their dreams. But Yasakani-no-Magatama is different. It is kept safe in Imperial Palace in Tokyo and will be taken out if Orochi wakes up from its sleep..."

"Oh..." Chie looked at the locket again before she wore it. Then, she spoke. "It's rather... too obvious..."

"Just tuck in your shirt..." said Yosuke.

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the turned-on television and they looked at it. As they looked at the television, they saw a TV announcer who was giving opinion about the upcoming event of the year, had his head gripped by a tall man, who seemed to be very familiar to Yosuke.

"T-That's..." muttered Yosuke. "That's Serpent Tail!!"

"What?" Chie looked at Yosuke. "Are you sure?!"

"I'm positive!" nodded Yosuke. "I've seen him once at Junes! He's the one who killed the people at that time! If I'm not wrong, his name is Charles!"

_W-Who're you?!_

The TV announcer, who seemed to be in pain, asked Charles about who he is. Before Charles answered it, he tightened his grip, crushing the man's head like a watermelon. He threw the man's body aside as a female TV announcer screamed in horror.

_Hello, mortals..._

Charles spoke to the audience as he looked at the direction of the camera. Then, another man came. The red-haired man took Charles place as he sat on the chair. The other adjutants went in front of the camera.

_Good evening, everyone. Are you ready to enjoy this peaceful evening?_

Yurie gasped as the red-haired man spoke. She knew the voice.

"That voice..." Yurie looked at the screen. "That's Orochi!!"

"Orochi?!" both Chie and Yosuke looked at the older woman.

"Mochizuki-kun was right. Orochi managed to assume a human form... this is very bad..." said Yurie. The two youngsters could sense fear on Yurie's face.

Then, Yosuke's cell phone rang. The brunette man took out the communication device and put it on his ear after looking at the address of the caller. "Souji! Thank goodness you're calling... do you watch the TV just now?"

_Yes. It's pretty bad now... I've called Yukiko and she's watching the TV too..._

"Yeah, it's pretty bad..." nodded Yosuke. "I'll tell Gin later..."

"Shhh!!" hissed Chie. "I can't hear what he says..."

So, all of them watched the television. Then, Orochi began to speak.

_Are you wondering about who I am? If you aren't, that's good, since I'll tell you people after this..._

Orochi cleared his throat.

_ I am Orochi, and we are Serpent Tail. If you know about the killings of the students at Yasogami in Inaba, as well as in shopping complex, Junes which is also in Inaba, we are the one who did that..._

"Damn... look how straightforward he is..." grunted Yosuke. "He's saying that they're the one who killed those people..."

_And afterwards, the world soon will see more bloodshed. And if you wish for such things to stop, would you people make us a favor?_

A picture appeared at the upper right side of the screen, and Chie was shocked as the picture was her. "W-What?! Isn't that me?"

_If you wish to make us stop doing more killings, bring me this girl. Her name is Satonaka Chie, 22 years old and lives in Inaba. If someone who willingly brings her to me, that someone will be rewarded handsomely, and we will stop the killings..._

"Oh my... this is the worst case scenario ever happens..." said Yurie. "It's true that they'll end the killings, but after taking you, they'll create an utter chaos upon earth..."

_I'm giving you people two weeks to think about it. Remember, I want Satonaka Chie before the deadline... failing to do so will cause..._

Orochi looked at the terrified female TV announcer before he looked at Sake. The pink-haired man nodded in acknowledgment before he took out a pair of katanas and went to the woman. With two strokes, Sake cut the woman into three pieces, killing her in the process.

_More blood to be spilled..._

Orochi stood up and went out from the room as his adjutants followed him.

"Is that..." Chie spoke after such a long pause among three of them. "...even true?"

"It seems to be the case..." nodded Yosuke. "I'll tell Gin-sensei!!" he stood up.

"I don't think it's necessary..." said Yurie before she looked at the ceiling. "I think he's listening to it..."

Then, Gin appeared at the ceiling as he removed his camouflage, which was a sheet of fabric which had a same shade as the ceiling. He jumped down onto the floor.

Yosuke sighed. "That thing makes me sick whenever I look at it..." he looked at his teacher. "Anyway, do you hear that?"

Gin nodded as he showed his unusual solemn expression. "Loud and clear, Yosuke. This is the most possible worst case scenario ever. Yosuke, call the Eaters, now!!"

"Y-Yes!!" nodded Yosuke.

Suddenly, Chie's cell phone rang. She took it and sighed. "Now, it's the worst of the worst. It's from Dojima-san..."

Yosuke shrugged. "It can't be helped, Chie. They were broadcasting it in live, so all people may watch it..."

"Okay..." Chie nodded weakly before she put the device on her ear. She heard a grumpy voice which is owned by her superior, Dojima Ryoutaro. She seemed to expect what the man would say to her.

_Give me a good damn explanation about this matter, Satonaka!!_

"D-Dojima-san, please... listen to me. It's hard to explain, but please understand the situation first..."

_You are all over the TV!! There's no way I can understand what is that about if you're not explaining me about this matter..._

"Dojima-san..." Chie squeaked. "Just calm down..."

"He's just extremely worried about you, Chie..." said Yurie to her daughter.

Then, she heard a voice of a man from the phone. From the voice, she knew that man was speaking to Dojima.

_Dojima-san, there's a person who wants to see you now..._

_ Tell him I'm busy!_

_ But... he's..._

~darkness~

"He's what?!" asked Dojima to the junior policeman.

Then, a person came into the office. The middle-aged man with pale blue hair and policeman's hat looked at Dojima as he smiled to him serenely.

"Good evening, Ryoutaro-kun..." said the man.

"You?" Dojima looked at the newcomer. "Oh, good evening, Misanori-san. It is an honor to see you here..." he bowed to the man. Then, he placed the phone on his ear before he spoke. "I'll call you later, Satonaka..."

"Is that Satonaka Chie?" asked Misanori.

"So what?" Dojima looked at the detective.

"So, our discussion will be more important..." Misanori closed his eyes. "I wish I can have a good conversation with you... privately..." said Misanori.

"I see..." Dojima nodded. "Then, the interrogation room will suit the case..."

Then, both of them went into the interrogation room. Dojima closed the door and sat on the chair. Detective Shirogane sat on another chair in front of the table opposite Dojima's chair.

"So, shall we begin?" asked Misanori.

~darkness~

Naoto couldn't believe what she was watching just now. She had seen two people being murdered live in television. Minato who was beside her also seemed to be mildly surprised. Kanji also shocked as he watched the television. Three of them were in Naoto's house.

"This is bad..." said Naoto.

"Indeed..." nodded Minato. "We have no time to waste then. We should be hurry for the Eaters' meeting!"

"Meeting?" Kanji looked at the navy-haired man. "Where is it?"

"Just follow me..." said Minato. "Naoto, are you alright to go? Is your head okay?"

"I'm okay..." nodded Naoto. Her head was bandaged because of the injury she sustained by fighting Michael. "I'll go to the meeting!"

"Good..." after that, he walked out from the room and went out from the house. Kanji and Naoto followed him. As three of them stepped out from the estate's entrance, a black car arrived, stopped in front of the entrance.

"Come in..." a familiar voice could be heard before the window lowered, revealing Ryoji and Yukiko inside the car. "We've received a call from Gin. Yosuke will come to the meeting with Chie and Souji..."

"Senpai?" Kanji saw Yukiko. "So, you're a part of Eaters too, aren't you?"

"Just step in, Kanji-kun..." said Yukiko. "We should be hurry..."

"Err... sorry..." said Kanji apologetically before he stepped into the car. Minato and Naoto followed him. Ryoji drove the car away towards the direction of the shrine.

"Where did you get this car?" asked Minato before he saw a familiar family's emblem on the dashboard. "Oh, I get it... Kirijo..."

"It makes our Mitsuru as a part of Eaters too..." said Ryoji as he drove the car. After several minutes of travel, they finally arrived in front of the shrine.

"Okay, we're here..." said Ryoji.

All of them went out from the car and entered the shrine's ground. They saw Chie, who was wearing an unusual outfit so people wouldn't recognize her. It couldn't be helped because she was shown all over the country. Standing beside her was Yosuke and Souji. Mitsuru was also there.

"Okay, it seems the youngsters are here..." said Gin, coming out from the shrine. "Come in..."

All of them followed the old man into the centre of the shrine. In the main chamber of the shrine, they saw the senior members of Serpent Eaters, except Misanori and Yakushiji, who were at the police station to deal with the police about Chie.

Minato looked around. "Where's Misa-..." he stopped as he looked at Naoto who was beside him. "Our wise guy?"

"He's currently consulting with the authority regarding our heiress..." replied Kurosawa. "So, please have a seat..."

All of them took their seat on the floor with seiza position.

Gin coughed before he began to speak. "Alright... it seems that Serpent Tail had done something one step forward from us and the thing may..." he looked at Chie. "...bring such a nuisance for our princess, Satonaka Chie-sama..."

"It can't be helped..." sighed Yosuke. "They're broadcasting it all over the media..."

"So, let us expect a worst case scenario..." said Gin. "The ignorant government may consult us to bring Chie to those people because they think that giving Chie to Serpent Tail may end the killings, but they're terribly wrong if they do that. Of course they will stop the killing, but if they have Chie within their grasp, it is something that we shouldn't even think of..." Gin closed his crimson eyes. "They'll bring such a terrible chaos upon humanity, the worst than the killings they've made..."

"So, what can we do then?" asked Ryoji, still in his cheerful manner.

"That's why..." said Gin. "We're having this meeting, to help us to think about the solution for this problem..."

"I see..." nodded Souji. "But, we're currently under a disadvantage. The public may think that giving Chie to Serpent Tail will solve the problem, and they'll urge Chie to show up and go to those people from Serpent Tail..."

"We're thinking about that too..." agreed Kurosawa.

"So..." sighed Yosuke. "We're in a bad luck, right?"

Thus, most of them sighed in unison. Chie looked around with a confused look before she stood up.

"Hey, hey!! Don't give up just like that!! It's not like they do really have their chance! C'mon, guys! I know we can do it!" exclaimed Chie, much to other Eaters' surprise.

"Chie?" Yosuke looked at the brunette woman with a puzzled look.

"It's alright if we're in disadvantage..." said Chie. "If we do this together, I'm sure we'll win for sure! There's no need for us to think about this matter, since it will only confuse us more..."

Chie placed her hand on her chest.

"We're human beings, right? Just follow your instinct, follow your feeling, follow your heart... I know we'll get an upper hand if we follow our instinct rather than making a precise decision that can be predicted by our enemies... " She looked at the others. "Don't think, feel..."

All Eaters couldn't believe that Chie had pulled out something amazingly. They looked at Chie with awe before the brunette woman realized what had she done before she went into her 'blushed' mode.

"Chie..." said Yukiko with bated breath. "I never thought you'll be able to pull such thing..."

"That's quite amazing coming out from you, Satonaka..." nodded Mitsuru in agreement.

"T-That's..." Chie's face reddened further. "I-I... well, this is embarrassing..."

Gin smiled. "What a wonderful speech you have, Chie..." then he lowered his gaze. "But, how could we solve this matter with that thing?"

"Hehe..." then, Ryoji chuckled before he spoke. "After hearing that from Chie-himesama, I suddenly get a bright idea..." he looked at the other Eaters with a suspicious grin. "A very bright idea..."

"Idea?" Yukiko looked at her mentor's face. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, an idea..." Ryoji closed his blue eyes. "But, the idea is rather a dirty trick..." then, he looked at Gin. After some while, Gin seemed to understand what Ryoji really meant before he smirked.

"I see..." nodded Gin. "A snake may be an agile beast, but..."

"It has a small brain compared to human..." added Ryoji.

~darkness~

The Serpent Tail came out from the TV broadcasting's building and found that they were surrounded by the police. One of the police, a white-haired police officer, Akihiko, was there.

"Freeze!!" shouted one of the police as he aimed a rifle towards the group. The other policemen also aimed their weapons. They had their Kevlar vest on to provide them an essential protection. "You are under arrest!"

"Well, well, well..." Orochi smirked. "The authority moves really fast than we've thought, but compared to the Eaters, they're just a bunch of small fries, is that right, my children?"

"Yes it is..." nodded Moses. "Would you like to let me finish them off?" he took out a rapier.

"There's no need for that, Envy..." said Orochi. "I'll handle it myself..." he spoke before some kind of green flame came out from his hands. He dashed forward before he fired a couple of fiery green projectiles towards the law enforcers, burning them in process.

"Aarghh!!" one of the burned policemen cried in pain. Akihiko took some steps aback before he looked at Orochi. He took out his specialized revolver and dashed towards Orochi.

"Take this!!" shouted Akihiko before he fired out an electrified bullet towards the red-haired man. Orochi seemed to be mildly surprised before he deflected the bullet with his bare hand. Without warning, Akihiko went in front of Orochi and released a downward punch. Orochi evaded the punch, but before he could do anything, Akihiko put his hands on the pavement before he lifted his body with his hands, using his feet to kick Orochi's stomach.

"Urgh!!" Orochi was moved behind. Akihiko took a stance as he looked at Orochi. Then, Orochi chuckled. "Well, you are amazing one, kid..." he applauded before he put his hand on his head. "But, would you withstand this?" some kind of blue flame emerged from his back before it formed into a pair of fiery green wings.

"What?!" instinctively, Akihiko took out his Evoker from its holster and put the tip of the summoning device on his forehead. "Persona!!"

Boom!!

Akihiko could feel a very massive force was imposed upon him, but he managed to protect himself as his Persona, Caesar of the Emperor Arcana, appeared and gave a good protection against the upcoming flame. As the flame subsided, the Persona vanished. Akihiko looked in front of him and found that Orochi and his servants had already vanished.

Then, he looked behind, and was terribly shocked as he saw all of his colleagues were severely burned. Most of them were perished in fire as a few of them seemed to sustain such grievous injuries. Akihiko went towards them and took out his walkie-talkie.

"We need assistance here... and paramedic too..." said Akihiko via the communicating device. Then, he looked on one of his comrade, who was severely burned and seemed to be barely alive. "Don't die!"

"A-Aki-hiko..." said the injured policeman weakly before he put his hand on Akihiko's sleeve. Then, his hand became limp as he died.

"D-Dammit!" cursed Akihiko. "I'll never forgive them!!"

~darkness~

Ahem, chapter 46 is out. The story's getting complicated than I ever thought. For now, Kanji, Naoto and Mitsuru are officially the members of Serpent Eaters. Well, I'll think to put Aigis and Ken next into the organization. If the reviewers are wondering about what Mala Suerte actually means, it means 'bad luck' in Spanish, suiting this chapter, right? Also, expect an action-packed chapter ahead. Well, it seems that I've some reviews which say about 'why I monkey butting Yosuke?' Sorry since I can't reply the review via PM, because I have no time, and I have my life (in other words, I am busy). Okay, first thing first, Yosuke is created to be a comedic relief in the story. He is meant to be Souji's sidekick, or second banana. Even though his role in this story is widened, he must have this trait so I won't make him OOC. Just consider about him being abused by Chie's absolute authority as a running gag throughout the story. And about Souji, who people might see that he's going to be a tragic character like Minato, don't worry that much. It helps a lot in the storyline, and I never plan to make him die (actually, I had decided to not make Minato dies either, but I'll make it in sort of dramatic way), but maybe we can expect him to turn side, hehe... (Just kidding). Okay, about who should Minato choose to be his absolute love, let just say that he doesn't make it yet, whether Yukari or Aigis. Both of them have their own advantages to have Minato's heart, like Yukari who knows that Naoto is Minato's little sister and Aigis who seems to have more time with Minato. Just expect something from it. About Ryoji, I've decided to not put any pairing for him because... he's Death! Death doesn't really need love, right?

Well, I hope the reviewers will put a review about this story, not putting about another story (like Fairly English Tale or whatever). Of course I'm also reading it, but please, this is my story, and you should review about this story, not to waste the space in review site just to explain about other stories from more-experienced authors. It is me who read the other stories, and let me read by myself instead of being asked to read. Sorry if I'm getting rude, but this is the sake for this story. I wonder if people won't even like to see something wonderful about this story. And so, I like to get reviews from other experienced authors (like Mayumi-H, this author's story is great and give me inspiration in oh-so many ways) And so, I don't like to compare my own story with other stories, since it gives me some sort of inferiority, if you know what I really mean.

Ah, before I forget it, I've made a poll about who are your favorite male characters in The Darkness Within Us? The voters are given a chance to pick three characters among the male characters. I'll reveal the result this March, if there's no problem for me to do so. Poll for favorite female characters will follow up soon. Okay, I never thought it's getting longer than usual, but it is rather great. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	47. Tails and Fangs

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 47:Tails and Fangs

_The incident which regarding the killings of the half of the entire crews of Lotus TV at Tokyo yesterday has raised such an enormous public concern. Apart of that, it not only because of the killings, but also about a young woman named Satonaka Chie._

Aigis and Yukari were watching the television in their rented house. They watched the special TV program which showed a bunch of demonstrations and pickets all over the country which urged Chie to show up in public, so the matter which regarding the recent killings could be solved.

"This is..." said Yukari with disbelief. "...very complicated..."

"It is true, Yukari-san..." nodded Aigis. "Those people who claimed themselves as Serpent Tail had started this mess..."

Then, Yukari seemed to be thinking. "Maybe... this is the reason why Minato-kun can hardly be seen nowadays. Maybe he knows something about this..."

"I agree with you, Yukari-san..." agreed the female blonde android. "And I presume Ryoji and Souji-san know about this matter as well..."

~darkness~

"This can't be happening!!" Prime Minister Tachikawa Harao yelled as he slammed his fist on his table. He was having some sort of discussion with his subordinates. "Because of that bunch of morons called Serpent Tail, we have a very big trouble regarding Japan's security!!"

Suddenly, the office's door was opened and two people entered the office. Prime Minister and his other subordinates were shocked by seeing those newcomers.

"Good afternoon, Prime Minister..." a black-haired man with a long yellow scarf smiled to the Prime Minister. "At first, sorry for intruding..."

"W-Who are you?!" asked Prime Minister Tachikawa nervously. "Are you those from Serpent Tail?!"

"Quite opposite actually..." shrugged the man. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Mochizuki Ryoji, a part of anti-Serpent Tail organization, Serpent Eaters... this is Hanamura Yosuke..." then, Ryoji gestured to the brunette man beside him. "He's also a part of Serpent Eaters..."

"Serpent... Eaters?" the terrified Prime Minister seemed to be puzzled.

"We are here to have a direct discussion with you about Serpent Tail..." said Ryoji. "And if you're wondering about how we reached you, this is the answer..." Ryoji took out a metallic plate from his black jacket which had a symbol of Tomoe, Japanese's ancient abstract, the symbol of Imperial Family, Kushinada Clan.

"What does that suppose to mean?!" asked the Prime Minister.

"For now, the authority has been given to us, the Serpent Eaters..." he kept the plate back into his jacket. "If you wish to see a well-balanced society in Japan, please remain calm and please enjoy a cup of tea while we're having a good discussion with you..."

~darkness~

"Things have finally gone as planned, am I wrong?" Gin spoke to the silver-haired man beside him. They were standing on top of the highest tower in the metropolitan, Tokyo Tower. Some hours ago, they arrived at the metropolitan to deal with Serpent Tail which had been situated in Tokyo.

"Sort of..." nodded Souji. "Anyway, we should be extra careful then..." he unsheathed his Tamayorihime before he transformed into his Shadow form. **"Otherwise, it will be the end for both the Eaters, and the world itself..."**

"Indeed..." Gin closed his eyes. "Let's proceed with our plan..." he leaped forward, jumping down from the tower before his body was engulfed with familiar-looking fog, and vanished in midair.

**"Let's rock..."** Souji smiled before his body was covered with the similar fog and vanished in thin air.

~darkness~

"Are you sure it's going to be alright?" asked Chie to her friend, Yukiko. They were currently in a limousine which was driven by Mitsuru. The window had been changed its shade into tinted black so the people in Tokyo wouldn't recognize her because of the news yesterday.

"I'm sure it will be alright..." said Yukiko reassuringly. "But, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"It's... about your clothes..." Yukiko referred to the clothes that Chie was wearing. It was an unfamiliar kimono-like dress with short skirt, which flattering her black tight shorts.

"Well... Mom urged me to wear it..." replied Chie timidly. "Somehow, it's surprisingly comfortable..." added Chie. "But, the thing that disturbs me the most is... what in the world are you wearing, Yukiko?!"

"This?" Yukiko pointed on herself. She was wearing a very odd-looking black hooded long cloak. In her hands was a white undecorated fox mask. "Oh, since we are dealing with those Serpent Tail in public, so as a safety measure, we should have to disguise ourselves..."

"Oh..." then, Chie looked at the driver. "Mitsuru-san, why aren't you wearing this cloak?"

"Hmm?" Mitsuru glanced slightly to Chie before she looked forward again. "I won't be in the crowds with you people to deal with such thing, so I'll stay away from the public... there's no need for me to wear those things..."

"I see..." Chie nodded. "But, are you sure that Ryoji-kun's plan will work?"

"I don't know..." shrugged Yukiko. "But, he said that you play a very major role in the plan afterwards..."

~darkness~

"And that concludes our discussion, Prime Minister Tachikawa..." said Ryoji. "Remember, military forces won't be able to stop the Serpent Tail. They are not human to begin with. The only way to deal with those people is to give the authority to us, the Serpent Eaters..."

"I see..." Prime Minister Tachikawa nodded. "But, this is very unbelievable..."

"Yet you've seen them killing those people in Lotus TV by an unusual mean, right? We promise you that we will solve this thing..." said Ryoji reassuringly.

"B-But, how can you solve such thing?" asked the prime minister.

Ryoji smirked before he looked at Yosuke. The brunette man nodded before he took out his daggers, much to the prime minister's surprise. Yosuke stabbed the table in front of the prime minister with one of his dagger, breaking the table into two pieces. Then, he pulled out the dagger from the now-damaged table.

"Because... we are equivalent to those people in term of strength..." said Ryoji. "Anyway, thanks for listening to us. Have a nice day then, and wait for a good news from us. And, don't forget to repair that table, okay?" after that, both Ryoji and Yosuke went out from the office, leaving the awestruck prime minister and his subordinates alone.

"T-They're monster!" exclaimed Prime Minister Tachikawa.

~darkness~

"So, here we are..." said Mitsuru as they arrived in front of a TV broadcasting building. "Hmm... I've contacted them because they are an organization under Kirijo Corporation. So, it won't be any problem..." she opened the door and went out from the car. Yukiko put on the hood and mask before she followed Chie to went out from the vehicle. Three of them entered the building.

"Welcome, Kirijo-sama..." greeted one of the TV announcer. "We are expecting you..."

"Wow, it's good to have a TV broadcaster in our side..." commented Chie. Three of them followed the female TV announcer to the news room.

"Alright, to make it as planned, we will make it live in television all over Japan. I'm sure those from Serpent Tail will watch the program too, and if I'm not wrong, you are Satonaka Chie, right?" the TV announcer looked at the brunette woman in the unorthodox short-skirted kimono. "You are famous because of yesterday's event..."

"Am I?" Chie pointed her finger to herself.

"Okay, don't waste our time..." the TV announcer turned to other side. "Go there and have some make-ups on you. If you are on the program, you should look good..." she gestured to some make-upers.

"Well, okay..." she nodded.

Mitsuru smiled as she looked at the situation before she glanced to the masked Yukiko. "If Orochi used TV, we will also use TV..."

~darkness~

Charles was reading a newspaper while sitting leisurely on a bench. He was sitting in front of a television shop so he could get an update about what would happen after the event yesterday. He put on his hood so people wouldn't recognize him since he was the one who killed the TV announcer.

_And now, for the special report._

Charles looked at the television and frowned as he saw the tagline. It said 'Satonaka Chie will show up in public.'

_Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Satonaka Chie._

Charles frowned as he watched the television and looked at it with curiosity.

_Sorry for the incident yesterday because it might be indirectly caused by me. To prevent such thing from happen again, I will gladly show up to the Serpent Tail._

Charles smiled triumphantly. He continued to watch the television so he could conclude that there wouldn't be any single Serpent Eaters on the way.

_ If you are wondering about the safety, it wouldn't be a problem since I will bring only two bodyguards with me. You can see me at 3 p.m __in Shibuya Crossing. The traffic will be stopped so we can meet there..._

Then, the special program ended. Charles put the newspaper aside before he put his hand on his head.

"Master, I have something to report..."

~darkness~

The Shibuya Crossing was empty at that time, save for three individuals who were standing in the middle of the crossing. The crossing, which is located in front of Shibuya Station's Hachiko exit, is known as the busiest scramble crossing in the world, but it was empty at that time by the timely assistance of authority and police. The Starbuck store which is overlooking the crossing seemed to be empty as well.

In the middle of the crossing were Chie and two individuals, dressed in black hooded long robe. The two hooded people put fox masks on their face to conceal their identity from the public. The Tokyo Metropolitan Television crews as well as some civilians were looking at them from a safe distance.

"They're here..." muttered one of the masked people. Then, three people who were dressed in black trench coat arrived in the crossing. One of them is Orochi, a red-haired man with green eyes.

"Good afternoon, Kushinada-himesama..." greeted Orochi. "It's so nice to see you here..."

"Indeed..." nodded Chie. She gave a signal to her guards to not move. "Would you mind if I walk to you?" asked the brunette woman.

"Feel free..." nodded Orochi.

Chie breathed in and out before she walked towards Orochi. The cameraman from the Tokyo Metropolitan Television tried to get a nice shot from their angle. The event was shown live in television.

Then, Chie stopped as she stood about two meters from Orochi. She looked at the green-eyed man before she spoke. "Before I give myself to you, would you mind to answer my simple question?"

"Go on..." said Orochi.

"If I give myself to you, would you stop the killings?" asked Chie.

Orochi frowned. "Of course I will. I did say it once, didn't I?"

"But, after having me, what will you do?" asked the brunette woman again. "Aren't you planning to purge the humanity from existence?"

Orochi closed his eyes. "Killing the people and purging the humanity are two different thing, Hime-sama... we kill the people because they are so ignorant about our existence, the deliverer of their own desire..." he reopened his eyes and looked at Chie with his glowing green eyes. "Purging is a salvation for them..."

"I see..." nodded Chie.

"So, would you come to me? To aid us to bring salvation among your beloved people?" asked Orochi before he walked towards Chie, trying to touch her.

"Then I have no regret for it..." before the hand could reach Chie, she grabbed the hand.

Unexpectedly, Chie took out a smoke bomb and detonated it. It formed a cloud of smoke. The two adjutants, Vineyard and Charles were agitated by the sudden turn of event before they took out their weapons. As the smoke subsided, Orochi seemed to be surprised as instead of Chie, the one who was standing in front of him was Yosuke who was dressed in black hooded long robe.

"It's surprising, isn't it?" asked Yosuke with a smirk. "Isn't this some kind of deja vu?"

Before the cloud of smoke fully subsided, one of the masked guards took off the mask, revealing herself as Chie. "Yosuke, take this!!" she threw the mask towards Yosuke and the brunette man caught the mask and put it on his face so he could hide his identity from the public. Then, he took out a pair of daggers and started to attack Orochi.

"Chie, this way!!" said another masked guard, which was Yukiko. Chie took off the black robe from her and ran away with Yukiko.

"Where are you going?"

Both of them halted as Vineyard blocked them. She raised her two revolvers towards Chie and Yukiko.

"Persona!!" shouted Chie before Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana appeared above her. The naginata-wielding Persona charged towards the woman with cowboy hat and attacked her with the glowing red naginata.

"Asmodeus!!" Vineyard summoned her Persona, Asmodeus of the Devil Arcana. The Persona, which took form of a partially-naked woman, blocked the naginata with her hand.

"Amaterasu!!" then, Yukiko attacked Vineyard with a massive flame. Strangely, the fire seemed to not even leave a burn mark on the woman.

"She's strong against fire! We should meet up with Ryoji-kun, now!!" said Yukiko, pulling Chie's hand. They entered an abandoned building nearby. Because they were free from those television crews, Yukiko took off her robe and mask. "I think it will be safe here for a while..."

Boom!!

An explosion occurred and Vineyard entered the building. Quickly, Yukiko and Chie climbed the stairways upwards. Vineyard seemed to pursue them. As Yukiko and Chie arrived on top the building, both of them seemed to be very exhausted because they were running.

"Ergh... I'm tired..." said Chie. Then, her eyes widened in horror as Vineyard arrived on the top of the building. The woman with cowboy hat smiled triumphantly as she managed to make Chie cornered.

"Well, well, well... what a nice trick you have there..." said Vineyard. "But it wasn't enough to fight our master..."

"Of course..." then, Yukiko smiled. "Because you've seen nothing yet..."

Suddenly, a massive humanoid creature landed in front of Vineyard. The creature, which took a form of a humanoid being with draconic silver mask and cape of coffin, unsheathed his silver sword. He breathed out some kind of silvery vapor and the sound of his breathing could be heard clearly.

Sure, people would say that Death is shapeless until they saw him.

"Yukiko, Chie..." the humanoid draconic creature, Thanatos looked at both women. "Provide me some supports..."

"You betcha!" nodded Yukiko as she assumed her fighting stance.

"Alright!" Chie prepared her battle stance as well. She seemed to be relieved as the short-skirted kimono that she was wearing didn't give any problem to her while fighting.

"Well then..." Thanatos looked back to Vineyard. "Shall we begin?"

Thanatos roared and the roar resonated in air.

~darkness~

Takaya was sitting on the edge of a building as he observed the fight which happened on the ground. He spun his revolver in his hand.

"This is rather very interesting, hehe..." commented Takaya as he chuckled. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

"It's been a while since we last met, Takaya..." a voice could be heard. Takaya turned behind and saw a blue-haired man, dressed in black trench coat and armed with a shiny rapier. "From my view, you never change..."

"Hehe... you've grown quite a bit, Minato..." replied Takaya, standing up and looked at the newcomer, Minato. Then, he aimed his revolver to the man. "I'm rather curious about your new power. A living messiah who stands between humanity and Nyx, I wonder how strong it was..."

"Same here..." Minato smiled eerily before he pointed his rapier to Takaya. "I wonder why you're still alive after that incident..." his bluish gray eyes were focused to the yellow-haired man. "Orochi has given you a new power of the sins. What's your new name again, Pride?"

"I like this new role..." said Takaya. "And, I will use it to fight..." he smiled diabolically. "...against you..."

"Well..." Minato prepared his battle stance. "What are you waiting for? Let's begin!"

~darkness~

"It's very noisy out there..." said Michael to a standing blue-haired detective. Both of them were currently in an alley, which was free from any television crew.

"You are Michael, aren't you?" asked Naoto. She tightened her grip on her revolver.

"Yes, I am Michael. But my fellow comrades would gladly call me Greed..." said the white-haired adjutant. "Somehow, I've got a feeling that you are already a part of the Eaters..."

"Indeed..." nodded Naoto. "Let me tell you again, I am Shirogane Naoto of the Serpent Eaters, and I am here to defeat you!!" declared the sleuth before a blue card appeared in front of her. She crushed the card by firing it with her revolver as she shouted. "Persona!!"

The Persona, Yamato Takeru of the Fortune Arcana, appeared above her summoner looked at Naoto before she nodded curtly. She raised her sword and it glowed.

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!!"

Yamato Takeru's eyes seemed to glow underneath her helmet as well before she swung the glowing sword, releasing a ray of energy towards Michael. The adjutant of Greed immediately summoned his Persona, Mammon of the Tower Arcana and fired out Almighy spell. As the energy projectiles collided to each other, an explosion occured.

~darkness~

"Gaaah!!" Kanji dashed towards a black-haired man in tight leather suit before he released a punch. The man, Moses blocked the punch with his arms before he kicked Kanji. But, Kanji managed to block the kick. He pushed Moses forward before he took some steps and grabbed a signboard nearby.

"Rokuten Maoh!!" shouted Kanji as he crushed an appearing card with the signboard before a red-shaded Persona, Rokuten Maoh appeared behind him. "Primal Force!!"

Rokuten Maoh raised his fire-shaped sword before the sword glowed out some kind of majestic light. He swung down the weapon, releasing a pressurized physical force which took a form of a green bullet, spinning in the air like an arrow towards Moses.

Moses evaded the projectile by taking a side step. He could feel a very massive force from the bullet as the projectile passed beside his head by a thin margin. The green bullet then struck the wall, creating an unearthly hole on its own.

"Quite impressive..." commented Moses. "I wonder what's your name..."

"Tatsumi Kanji, Serpent Eaters!!" said Kanji proudly. "I'm here to defeat you, snake-brained imbecile!!" he threw the signboard towards Moses, hitting the adjutant in the process. He was moved behind by the throw and before he could prepare himself, Kanji took a metal pipe and swung it to the man.

Moses prepared his rapier and parried the metal pipe. Then, Moses pushed the metal pipe downward with his rapier, making the sharp weapon parallel to Kanji's shoulder. He pushed the sword forward, stabbing Kanji's shoulder.

"Urgh!" grunted Kanji as the sword penetrated his shoulder. Instinctively, he spun himself, making Moses lost his grip on his weapon, pulling out the rapier from his shoulder and used it to stab one of Moses' hands.

"Ergh!!" Moses' eyes widened as his own weapon was used by Kanji to injure his hand. Kanji released his grip from the sword before he took some steps aback. He clutched his injured shoulder before he smirked triumphantly as he managed to wound his opponent.

"Don't ever look down on me, you shitty-head..." said Kanji with bated breath. "I am always the winner when it comes to brawl with people..." it was true since he had fought many people, particularly the bikers. There's no need for him to make a special movement to give a massive injury to his enemies.

"Oh..." Moses smiled as he pulled out the rapier from his hand. "That's interesting..."

~darkness~

Sake was sitting on a billiard-table in an old billiard saloon. He spun his katana in his hand before he spoke. "So we meet again, right?" he looked behind, only to see his former teacher, Daidara. "Teacher Daidara?"

"You've gone too far, Daisuke..." said the man with cross-shaped scar on his face. A pair of katanas could be seen hanging on his waist. "I've seen you in TV. You killed that TV announcer, right?"

"So..." Sake smirked. "What?"

"I'm here to purge your sin, Sake..." Daidara pulled out his katanas from their sheaths. "Even by the meaning of killing you..."

Sake stood up and looked at the blacksmith. "So... bring it on, Teacher..." he unsheathed his other katana before he jumped towards Daidara, aiming two downward slashes upon him.

Daidara raised his katanas, deflecting the slashes with the weapons. Sake landed on the floor before he crouched, aiming Daidara's legs. Daidara jumped before he kicked Sake's head, sending him behind towards a counter.

"I hope that kick can refresh your mind, Sarutobi..." said Daidara, reassuming his battle stance.

"Hehehe..." Sake stood up. "So, you haven't become sloppy yet, have you?" he spun his katanas before he assumed a battle stance, and shouted. "Belphegor!!"

An ethereal figure appeared above Sake, dashing towards Daidara. But, the blacksmith remained calm as he closed his single eye. Then, he muttered something before he reopened his eyes, revealing a shiny purple orb from his single eye.

"Kazekiba..."

His swords glowed before he dashed towards Belphegor and slashed the ethereal figure with the shiny swords. An explosion occurred.

Boom!!

~darkness~

Orochi and masked Yosuke were having a pretty intense duel as the red-haired man with green eyes summoned a long sword and used it as a weapon as Yosuke used a pair of daggers to fight Orochi. Charles was observing the battle before he felt an approaching presence.

Immediately, he took some steps aback, and a man with long coat and armed with a naginata stabbed the pavement, leaving a crater on it. As the silver-haired man landed his feet on the ground, he pulled out his naginata from the pavement before he spun it and assumed a battle stance.

**"Prepare to taste a wrath of human's true self, Charles..."** said the silver-haired man with such a monotonous voice. **"I am a Shadow, the true self... I am here to defeat you, even by meaning of killing you and ripping you apart!!"**

"I see..." nodded Charles as he took out his dagger. "Well, be my guest, Seta Souji..." in a blink of eye, Souji dashed towards him and aimed a downward slash with his naginata. Charles parried the attack with his dagger, and a massive energy blast could be seen.

Meanwhile, near the statue of Hachiko, Solomon was standing there, enjoying his moment of peace before any opponent came after him. Then, he felt a presence before he sighed heavily.

"Sheesh... from all people, why do I have to fight you?" sighed Solomon as he turned to his back, only to see Gin, who was dressed in black suit. In his hand was his umbrella which has a blade in it.

"Well, enjoy the moment, Gluttony..." said Gin before he took out the blade from his umbrella.

"Yeah right..." Solomon took out a chain from his trench coat. "Let's fight..."

~darkness~

Yurie was gardening her little orchards in her backyard. Then, a little bird perched on her shoulder, making her stopped from watering her precious little bonsai. She put her finger under the little bird's beak before it chirped near her ear. Yurie nodded before the little bird jumped onto her finger.

"I hope they will be alright..." said Yurie, looking on the sky.

The Tails and The Eaters, who will win the battle?

~darkness~

Finally, chapter 47 is completed. Thank you for those who reviewed chapter 46. Okay, it seems that my note will be long too, but it won't be long like the last chapter. About Chie's meeting with Orochi, and Yosuke takes Chie's place are directly taken from Kushinada's mythology where Susano-O disguised himself as Princess Kushinada and transforming Princess Kushinada as a comb so he could bring her while facing Yamata-no-Orochi. The Serpent Eaters are fighting the Serpent Tail in public, so some of them have to wear masks (fox masks to be exact) so they can conceal their identity. Okay, it seems there's a review which says that 'why those people from the Eaters have to bow to Chie?' A simple answer is because Chie is their master. And why they have to follow her order anyway? Because, Gin wants them to follow. You know, not all of them are perfect enough to think a better way to succeed.

When I was writing this, I almost forgot about Solomon. Oh my, I counted the Serpent Tail and realized that Solomon wasn't there. So, I made him fought Gin. I doubted that he'll win anyway. Somehow, the only Eater that identity has been known in public is Chie, that's why she doesn't wear the mask. Okay, I hope this chapter will make the readers happy. As usual, read and review.


	48. Verbum Dei

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 48: Verbum Dei

"We are witnessing such a spectating yet horrifying scene in Shibuya, Tokyo!!" said a female reporter while holding a microphone as at her background, an intense battle between Orochi and an unknown mysterious masked man in hooded robe could be seen. The reporter lowered her head to avoid herself from being hit by collateral debris from those dueling individuals. "The leader of Serpent Tail who claims himself as Orochi is having a very intense battle with one of Satonaka Chie's guards!"

Yosuke and Orochi were exchanging attacks and parries with their respective weapons before the green-eyed man jumped onto a traffic light, raising his long sword to his head level before some kind of green flame could be seen on the weapon.

"Take this!!" Orochi swung his weapon downwards, releasing a ray of green flame towards Yosuke. The man with the fox mask jumped backwards and climbed another traffic light which was opposite with the one Orochi was standing on.

Then, Yosuke leaped forward into air before a blue card appeared in front of him. He spun his body in midair, crushing an appearing card with one of his daggers, summoning Susano-O of the Magician Arcana. The Persona grabbed his massive shuriken and threw it towards Orochi. The shuriken managed to cleave the traffic light where Orochi was standing on. The red-haired man leaped to the ground, not before kicking the damaged traffic light towards the crews of TV broadcasters nearby.

"Kyaaah!!" shrieked the female reporter, who was among the crews as she saw the huge pole of traffic light was flying towards them. Before the massive debris could reach them, Yosuke appeared in front of them and used his daggers to shred the debris into tiny pieces.

"Are you alright?" asked the masked Yosuke to the female reporter. The trembling woman nodded.

"Go away. It isn't safe here..." said Yosuke as he turned towards the red-haired man. "I don't know if I can save you guys again..."

After saying that, Yosuke dashed towards Orochi and intended a stab on him. The green-eyed man deflected the stab with his sword before an intense duel occurred again.

"He's..." muttered the TV reporter as she looked at the masked man before she blushed. "He's cool..."

~darkness~

Minato easily deflected Takaya's bullets with his rapier before he took out his metallic black Evoker and put it on his temple. "Persona!!" he shouted before Orpheus, a Persona of the Fool Arcana, appeared above him and went towards Takaya to swing his silvery lyre.

Takaya crouched before he clutched his head, summoning Hypnos of the Fortune Arcana. The grotesque-looking Persona blocked Orpheus' lyre with his hand, before he fired out a bullet of spiralling ice towards the semi-mechanical Persona. The icy projectile went through Orpheus and Minato could feel the pain as he winced. The Persona dissipated.

"You're still using that slimy thing, aren't you?" asked Minato, looking at Hypnos. "I thought every adjutant of Orochi got a new Persona..."

"That's true..." Hypnos vanished as Takaya looked at Minato. "I was given the power of Pride, Lucifer..." then, a Persona of the Star Arcana, Lucifer, appeared above Takaya. "I'll use it against you..."

"Oh..." Minato looked at Lucifer. "That's quite fascinating, but I'll use that too..." he pulled the trigger of his Evoker, summoning Helel of the Star Arcana. "Angel and Fallen, Helel and Lucifer are essentially a same being. But, Helel is a precious angel beside God, and Lucifer..." then, Minato's eyes glowed. "...is damned..."

"I see..." Takaya raised his revolver. "So we are destined to kill each other, right?"

"Indeed..." nodded Minato.

"Go, Lucifer!!" shouted Takaya, and the fallen angel fired out a massive force of Almighty spell.

"Finish him, Helel!!" Minato ordered his Persona. Helel nodded in acknowledgement before he fired out a similar force as Lucifer. As the forces collided, an explosion occurred.

~darkness~

"Hoah!!"

Kanji punched Moses' face as hard as he could, sending him towards the wall. Moses tried to not slam himself on the wall, but before he could prepare himself, Rokuten Maoh was standing in front of him and swung his fire-like blade onto Moses' torso, pressing him further into the wall, breaking the wall and throwing him inside the building.

"Urgh..." Moses picked himself. Although he had received such a heavy blow, he only sustained some minor injuries. "You're quite strong, aren't you?"

"Haha, that's because I am Tatsumi Kanji!!" shouted Kanji before he jumped into the building, releasing a hard punch onto Moses' face, sending him behind. As the adjutant of Envy was thrown behind, Kanji summoned Rokuten Maoh of the Emperor Arcana and fired a green-colored projectile from his sword.

"Levi-A-Than!!" shouted Moses before his Persona, Levi-A-Than of the Hermit Arcana appeared and blocked the green projectile. Kanji took some steps aback before he picked a table, which was found in the building and threw it towards Moses. The black-haired man ordered his Persona to block the throw. But to Moses' surprise, Rokuten Maoh rushed towards Levi-A-Than and released a punch onto the Persona's jaw.

"Gaaah!!" Kanji dashed towards Moses with a fist before he jumped through the air and punched Moses' head, slamming it onto the wall and creating a crater on it. Then, Kanji punched Moses' stomach with his other hand, breaking the wall behind the adjutant. Finally, Kanji kicked Moses on his stomach with his leg, sending him through the broken wall.

"How's that?" Kanji looked at the lying Moses. Then, the black-haired adjutant picked himself and wiped his blood from his lips before he smiled.

"Excellent..." commented Moses. "You are the second person who managed to push me to my limit..."

Kanji picked one of the bricks from the destroyed wall and threw it towards Moses, making the adjutant startled before the bleached-haired man dashed towards Moses and grabbed his head, slamming it on the wall repeatedly before throwing him out from a window.

"I'll turn you into a piece of bloody pulp, you punk!!" shouted Kanji before he jumped out from the window, and found Moses who was grinning, leaning himself on a traffic light.

"It's very interesting, Tatsumi Kanji..." said Moses. "Then, I'll make no reservation then!!"

"Be my guest!!" replied Kanji before he dashed towards the adjutant.

Moses also dashed towards Kanji before both of them released their punch. Their fists collided to each other, creating a massive shockwave on the ground.

~darkness~

"Huh?" Naoto turned her head to the sound of the shockwave. "Is that Kanji-kun?"

"Don't turn your face away from your opponent, woman..." said the adjutant of Greed, Michael, who was armed with a two-bladed scythe. Naoto turned her attention to the approaching enemy before she summoned her Persona, Yamato Takeru of the Fortune Arcana.

The Persona, dressed in prince-like coat raised her katana before she attacked Michael with a downward slash. Michael used his scythe to block the attack, but Naoto managed to go close to him and put the tip of her revolver on the white-haired man's chest. Before Naoto could pull the trigger, Michael used his elbow to hit Naoto's hand, making the weapon fell to the ground. Naoto was agitated for a while because of that, and Michael took the opportunity to kick the navy-haired detective's stomach, sending her behind.

"Urgh!!" seemingly unarmed, Naoto grunted as she was sent behind by Michael's kick. Before her back could touch the ground, her hand glowed and released a blue-colored blade-like projectile towards Michael. The adjutant tried to deflect the blade with his scythe, but much to his surprise, his scythe was cut into halves by the glowing blade. To prevent himself from being stabbed by the blade, he took a side step, evading the blade.

Naoto's back touched the ground, and rolled on the ground before the rolling momentum stopped thanks to the wall. She picked herself and grunted as she seemed to lose her weapon.

"This is bad..." sighed Naoto before her eyes glowed. "It seems I have to use this power to its extent..."

Several glowing blue blades came out from her hands before the blades transformed into claws on her fingers. She prepared herself for any of Michael's attacks because she couldn't win with that power alone.

"Tch!" then, Michael kicked Naoto's revolver forward, sending it to its owner, much to Naoto's surprise. "I don't like to have a real fight with an unarmed opponent..."

Naoto frowned before she crouched, taking the revolver. "I see..." she reloaded the revolver before aiming it to Michael. "That's nice to hear..."

Both of them glared to each other with their unearthy eyes before both of them shouted in unison as they summoned their Personas.

"Persona!!"

~darkness~

"Kazehana-no-Ryu!!" Daidara attacked Sake with his katanas. The pink-haired man with eye-patch dodged the attack. Then, Sake aimed a stab to his former teacher, and Daidara evaded it with such a thin margin.

"It's been a while since I've so much fun, teacher..." said Sake with a smirk. "And Seta Souji too, I enjoyed the battle with him..."

"I see..." Daidara intended an upright slash to Sake, and the pink-haired man avoided the slash with a step aback.

"But... I can feel it..." said Sake before he threw one of his katanas towards Daidara like a dart. The old blacksmith blocked the sword with one of his katanas. Then, when the thrown sword was in midair, Sake jumped and caught the sword. "I can feel that his heart is slowly succumbed to darkness..."

"I realize it as well..." nodded Daidara, taking some steps behind. "Even a newborn child could sense it. His newfound power seemed to assimilate his soul, slowly taunting him to darkness..."

"Exactly..." Sake smiled triumphantly before he crouched and then dashed towards his former master, intending a downward slash to him. "Soon or later, Master Orochi will take this advantage, and the world will be seen into its new shade!!"

Daidara closed his single eye. "It probably won't happen..." he deflected the slash with his sword. "The bonds he had forged will prevent him from sinking into darkness..."

"We will see it!!" shouted Sake as he raised his sword upward before he made a downward swing towards Daidara.

Daidara parried the slash, causing an electrified explosion to occur.

~darkness~

"Amaterasu!!" shouted Yukiko as she crushed an appearing blue card with her fan, before her Persona, Amaterasu of the Priestess Arcana appeared above her. The majestic Persona burned the floor where Vineyard was standing at, making the floor frail enough to collapse. Vineyard was standing at the edge of the building.

Without wasting any second, Vineyard leaped forward, preventing herself from falling down. As she managed to escape from falling, a kimono-dressed woman rushed towards her with a kick. The brunette woman, Chie kicked Vineyard's stomach, sending the woman behind.

"Urgh!!" this time, the kick managed to make her fell from the building. To prevent herself from falling any further, she summoned her Persona, Asmodeus of the Devil Arcana. The Persona caught her in midair, bringing her back to the rooftop of the building.

"She's tough..." said Chie, assuming a fighting stance. Yukiko also prepared herself. Ryoji, under his identity as the Harbinger of Death, Thanatos, was watching vigilantly at Vineyard with a silvery sword in his hand.

"You've pissed me off..." said Vineyard coldly before she combined her revolvers into a single rifle, much to their surprise. The hybrid of the two revolvers, an advanced-looking rifle was then aimed to Yukiko. "I'll kill you first!!"

Vineyard pulled the trigger, firing towards Yukiko. The raven-haired woman activated her Yata-no-Kagami, deflecting the bullets from hitting her. But, much to her surprise, Vineyard vanished and nowhere to be found before Yukiko felt a poke on her waist.

"You've shown talent, Amagi Yukiko..." Vineyard was standing behind Yukiko as she put the tip of her rifle on Yukiko's waist. "Sadly, the talent won't ever stop you from dying..."

Yukiko's eyes widened as she realized that Vineyard was behind her, aiming her rifle on one of her vital points. She couldn't do anything to prevent Vineyard from giving her a last blow.

"Yukiko!!" cried Chie as she saw Vineyard was behind her best friend.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Vineyard frowned. She found no one in front of her as she fired out bullets from her rifle. Then, she looked behind, only to see Thanatos with Yukiko in his arms.

"Ryoji-kun?" Yukiko looked at Ryoji's nightmarish look, still agitated from the last event.

"That's alright, Ojou-chan..." said Thanatos reassuringly, putting his apprentice back on the floor. Then, the masked humanoid creature looked at Vineyard before he picked up his silver sword. The eye sockets on his masks were glowing in such a nightmarish fashion before he spoke. "You are quite amazing to withstand my attacks, so I won't ever give any reservation or mercy in my next attack..."

"I will gladly accept it..." said Vineyard.

"I see..." Thanatos lowered his head before he placed his hands on the metal caps of his chains, pulling it off and taking his cape of coffins off to the floor. Yukiko and Chie could see the eyes of the faces on all eight coffins glowed before some kind of silvery vapor could be seen on them. Automatically, the coffins were opened by themselves, revealing three silver swords in each of them.

"Here I go..." said Thanatos monotonously before all silver swords from the coffins flew away to the sky, rotating in the air. Vineyard's eyes widened and looked at the phenomenon with disbelief. Then, the swords were flying around Thanatos before he floated as well. "See the wrath of the god..."

Suddenly, two of those swords flew towards Vineyard. The adjutant of Lust was shocked before she dodged the stabs, but then, Thanatos appeared in front of her, intending a thrust. Vineyard evaded the thrust with a side step, but she lost her calculation as one of the swords was spinning towards her before hitting her forearm.

"Ergh!!" she jumped backwards to avoid the sword, but the spinning sword managed to cut her hand off. She clutched her injured limb as she looked at Thanatos. "You're strong..." commented Vineyard.

"..." Thanatos looked at Vineyard before his body was engulfed by black cocoon, reverting himself as Mochizuki Ryoji. "I think you won't be able to fight in that condition, Vineyard..." all the flying swords vanished, leaving only a single sword in Ryoji's hand. He walked slowly to Vineyard before putting the weapon on her neck. "Tell me more about your master..."

"Is that so?" somehow, Vineyard smirked before a voice could be heard behind Ryoji. "Then, I afraid I couldn't..."

Ryoji's eyes widened in shock before he looked behind, only to see Vineyard with her hand still attached, aiming one of her revolvers on Yukiko's back who was totally unaware of her presence. Ryoji looked back in front of him and saw no one. Yukiko was standing near the edge of the building.

"Good bye.." said Vineyard, seemed to pull the trigger. Yukiko looked behind as she heard the voice and her eyes widened in horror as she saw the woman behind her.

"Yukiko!!" Chie also saw Vineyard behind Yukiko.

Click!

Bang!!

A bullet hit Yukiko's back, and the raven-haired woman fell to the floor.

"Yukiko!!" cried Chie.

"Hehe..." Vineyard chuckled. "One down..." she looked at Yukiko's motionless body before she felt a soft poke on her back.

"Or so it seems..."

Vineyard's expression changed as she heard that voice. She turned her attention to her back and saw Yukiko, smirking triumphantly as she put her fan on Vineyard's back.

"You know..." the black-haired woman spoke. "Besides reflecting the image..." then, she closed her eyes. "...mirror can also bend image..."

"What?!" Vineyard couldn't believe what she had seen before she looked at the one she had shot. The motionless body in front of her seemed to fade before vanished in thin air.

"To destroy the image..." stated Yukiko. "...is by destroying the mirror..." she smirked before she snapped her fingers as she muttered. "Yata-no-Kagami..."

As she muttered the words, the floor where both of them were standing cracked before both of them seemed to fall from the building. Yukiko pulled Vineyard to her back to make the adjutant fell first before her.

"Yukiko!" shouted Chie as she jumped from the building to save her fallen friend. "I'll save you!!" when she was in midair, she caught Yukiko and embraced her.

"Chie..." Yukiko looked at the brunette woman who was hugging her. "Thanks..." she closed her eyes as both of them continued to fall downwards. Chie nodded and smiled before she closed her eyes as well.

Both of them expected the worst as both of them felt that they were still in midair. Then, they felt that they were lifted by some kind of force before they opened their eyes, only to find out that they were in Thanatos' arms. The God of Death cradled them quite protectively as he descended slowly to the ground. Some civilians saw this massive humanoid creature. Most of them seemed to be terribly surprised by his presence and some of them took his pictures.

"Ryoji-kun..." Yukiko looked at the masked god of Death. "Thanks a lot..." in a glimpse, she could see Ryoji's smiling face on Thanatos' malevolent appearence.

Thanatos landed gracefully on the ground, putting both Yukiko and Chie. Then, without reverting himself back into his human form, he walked towards a bloodied body of Vineyard, who seemed to be dying because of the fall.

"Hey..." Thanatos looked at Vineyard. "I know that fall won't kill you..." he crouched and asked her a question. "Tell me more about your master..."

"T-There's... no way... I could tell such thing..." said Vineyard weakly before she coughed out blood. "My loyalty... is for Master Orochi..."

"I see..." then, Thanatos turned around. "In that case, I job has been completed..."

"Completed?" Yukiko looked at the humanoid creature. "What do you mean, Ryoji-kun?"

"Like I've said before, snake maybe an agile beast, but it has a small brain compared to human..." said Thanatos before he floated to the air.

"Ryoji-kun..." Yukiko watched her mentor who was flying away. Then, she realized that some civilians had been watching her. She also realized that she didn't wear her hood and mask.

"Oh no..." gasped Yukiko. "They saw me!!"

Chie sighed. "It's not that really important now..."

~darkness~

Charles realized that Vineyard was defeated as he fought Souji. He turned his head to a certain direction before he felt a blade was intended upon him. He parried the blade with his dagger.

**"What's up?! Are you planning to run away from me?!"** asked Souji with his echoed voice.

"Nope..." shrugged Charles. "I'm just wondering about you..." he took some steps aback before he spoke. "You possess the power of a Shadow, yet you are still protecting human..." he smiled. "Are you trying to delude yourself even though you are nothing but trying to say the truth?!"

Souji was agitated. **"What?!"**

"Everyone yearns for the truth, only to find the bitterness..." said Charles. "You, also yearn for the truth, yet you are afraid of yourself because of the truth you have admitted... so, you keep your humanity to delude yourself even more..." he pointed his dagger to Souji.

**"That's not a thing that should be mentioned here..."** said Souji coldly spinning his naginata. **"Call me whatever you like, but I am human, and I am proud of it..."**

"Hehe... see, you keep deluding yourself..." said Charles. "You are saying that you're proud of being human, yet still having the power of the Shadows. Even in your Shadow's form, you keep that humanity of yours to be an hypocrite..." Charles looked at Souji as he grinned. Then, he offered his hand to Souji.

"Come..." Charles seemed to offer Souji an invitation. "Join us, the Serpent Tail, if you wish to seek for the truth of your existence, to find out what your heart really wishes to see and to feel..." he smirked. "The Eaters won't be able to satisfy your hunger for the truth..."

**"I am Seta Souji, and I am human being!!"** shouted Souji furiously before some kind of magnetic field could be visibly seen on the blade of his naginata, attracting most of the metallic materials around him. **"The purpose of my existence within Seta Souji as a Shadow is to eliminate you, the Serpent Tail!!"**

"Or so it seems..." Charles' smirk seemed to be more twisted than before.

~darkness~

Gin and Solomon were having an intense duel near the statue of Hachiko. Solomon jumped towards a traffic light before throwing a massive iron ball towards Gin. With a stroke, Gin sliced the iron ball into halves. Then, he jumped towards Solomon and cut his legs.

"Argh!!" cried Solomon painfully before he fell to the pavement. Then, Gin put his blade on Solomon's forehead.

"It's so easy..." said Gin. "The previous Gluttony is more powerful than you..."

"Ergh..." grunted Solomon. "I'll never die!!"

"Who said you will die?" asked Gin, much to Solomon's surprise. Gin raised his sword before he sheathed it back into his umbrella. "But rather, I'll disable you, along with your comrades for a while..."

_Hey Trickster... the preparation is completed..._

Gin could hear a voice within his head, and the voice was owned by Ryoji, who had made the plan they had carried out.

"I see..." replied Gin. "Let's proceed with our plan..."

_ You betcha!!_

Gin looked at Solomon before he turned back and walked away.

"H-Hey!! What're you doing?!" asked Solomon.

"Didn't I've said that I won't kill you?" said Gin again. "I'll just disable you..."

~darkness~

Yosuke and Orochi were still having an intense duel. The masked man in black hood seemed to be exhausted as he panted.

"What's wrong, Royal Guardian?" asked Orochi mockingly. "Are you tired or something?"

Unnoticed by Orochi, Yosuke grinned.

"Ryoji-san was right. Snake sure is an agile beast, but it has a rather small brain compared to human..." he muttered before he jumped onto a traffic light. "The preparation is completed!!" he shouted.

Suddenly, Orochi was surrounded by blue light, much to his surprise. His other adjutants, the fighting and the defeated alike, also were surrounded by the same thing.

"What is this?" Moses was surprised as his body was surrounded by the plasma-like blue light. Kanji smirked before he took some steps aback, clutching his injured shoulder.

"You're trapped..." said Kanji before he walked away from the street.

Meanwhile, in another alley, Michael also was surrounded by the blue light when he was fighting Naoto. He seemed to be utterly shocked by the phenomenon.

"My task is completed..." said Naoto before she fled.

On a rooftop, Takaya was surrounded by the similar blue light. Minato smiled before he jumped from the building, not before saying something to Takaya.

"Adios..." said Minato before jumping from the building.

Sake, who seemed to be mildly surprised by the presence of the oddly-looking light which had surrounded his body. Daidara looked at him before he sighed.

"Maybe... another time..." said Daidara.

Vineyard, who was lying on the pavement, felt that she was surrounded by some kind of majestic blue light. She closed her eyes before she said something.

"All hail... Orochi..."

Near the statue of Hachiko, Solomon who had his legs severed by Gin, seemed to be shocked as he felt that he was surrounded by the blue light.

"Shit..." he cursed himself before he closed his eyes.

Then, Charles felt that his body was surrounded by the blue light. He took a glance to Souji before he smiled.

"I've been fooled well this time..." said Charles.

All members of Serpent Tail, including Orochi were surrounded by the blue light before all of them vanished into thin air. Yosuke, who was fighting Orochi in such a long time, fell to his knees, making his mask fell to the ground. The cameraman from the Tokyo Metropolitan Television focused on his unmasked face.

"Shit..." grunted Yosuke. "Father is gonna be upset if he finds out..." he sighed. He knew that he will be shown live in television and he wondered if his father was watching the television.

Then, Yukiko and Chie came to Yosuke. Souji reverted into his human form and went to Yosuke. They smiled to the brunette man.

"Well done, Yosuke..." Souji congratulated his friend and put his hand on Yosuke's shoulder.

Meanwhile, on the building, Ryoji who had reverted into his human form was standing on the rooftop. Then, Gin appeared beside him.

"It's going well than I thought..." said Ryoji to Gin.

"Indeed..." nodded Gin. "But, that's such a remarkable surprise to see a heavenly being that is able to transport the other living things into another dimension..."

"But, the effect isn't permanent..." said Ryoji. "After two months, they'll eventually break free from the seal, and I won't be able to perform such thing again because it can only be used once on every living thing..."

"In other words, it isn't over yet..." Gin looked below to see his pupil, who was surrounded by his friends and some civilians who came to congratulate him. "For these two months of calm, let us prepare ourselves for an ultimate apocalypse..."

~darkness~

Hello, it's me again, Albireo Imma. Chapter 48 is updated and I hope the readers will enjoy the story. In this story, somehow the Eaters managed to defeat the Serpent Tail, by transporting them into another dimension. But, the effect won't be long because they will eventually break free from the seal. So, the time limit is about two months, they can use the time of calm to maintain the society, recruit more members, telling the people around Japan about the Serpent Tail and so on. They also can recruit the army to protect the people from the Serpent Tail if they manage to get out from the dimension. Okay, I think I've read a review that saying about the Serpent Eaters is a despicable organization. C'mon, if they're truly despicable, why they do such a noble act like protecting the world and its people from destruction? And about Gin, that had been seen in the review as a heartless man who step on his deceased member's bodies to go forward and fight Orochi. It's not like the members of the Eaters join the organization against their will. Like Minato did on Naoto, he asked her first whether she wants to join the Eaters or not. And Yosuke joined the organization because he doesn't have much choice (because it involves Chie) and Gin himself had shaped him before making him joining the organization. I think that's all for today, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	49. What Love Truly Is

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 49: What Love Truly Is

"Mom, I'm off!!" said Yukiko as she prepared herself to go out from the inn, after helping her mother for daily chores.

"Be careful, sweetie!!" an elderly Amagi's voice could be heard. Yukiko smiled before she went out from the inn and walked along the street.

It had been two days after the battle, and thanks for the TV broadcasting, she was shown all over the media. Her family watched the television as well; making them realized Yukiko's involvement in the chaos that had been made by those from Serpent Tail. But, thanks for some senior Eaters like Gin and her teacher, Ryoji, she managed to make her parents understood about the situation, and gave her a full support in this matter.

"Hey, isn't that Amagi-san?"

"Yeah... I've seen her in TV before. She's super-hot during that time at Tokyo!!"

"Whoa, she's prettier than in the TV..."

Yukiko bowed to some of the town folks respectfully. Thanks to that incident, she was well-known throughout Inaba, and Japan as well. The outcome wasn't like that to be expected, but it's much to her relief as those people accepted her despite her involvement.

"It makes us easier if people know about it..." muttered Yukiko as she walked along the street to the direction of Chie's house.

As she arrived in front of Chie's house, she found a squadron of well-armed soldiers, standing vigilantly in front of the house's entrance. She sighed. It took some times for her to customize herself with this new situation; soldiers had been dispatched throughout Japan after the society had been restored so the peace could be maintained. It was also a preparation before the Serpent Tail could free themselves from the seal. Some civilians also could be seen around the house, which seemed eager to see a certain person in the house.

"Look!! That's Yukiko-sama!!" a school-girl realized Yukiko's presence.

"Yeah, she's here!!" another girl looked at the raven-haired woman.

Not long after that, Yukiko was surrounded by some fangirls and a few fanboys. Some of them wished to have Yukiko's signature and a few of them offered her a box of bento. And some of them were just included in the crowd just to see the new idol in the century.

"Alright, alright..." Yukiko tried to walk through the crowd as the guarding soldiers gave her a salute before letting her pass through the horde of people. "I'm going through..." she managed to go through the crowd of fans as she stood in front of the house. She rang the bell before the door was opened.

"Ah, Yukiko-chan... please come in..." Yurie was the one who opened the door and welcomed Yukiko. The raven-haired woman nodded as she smiled before she entered the house.

"It's quite rough nowadays, right?" said Yurie. "Somehow, you kids are famous among them, maybe because of the show..."

"It can't be helped..." sighed Yukiko. "I forgot to hide my face at that time. And it seems that Yosuke-kun and Souji-kun also have a same problem... they were known by all people thanks for that battle..." then, Yukiko looked around. "Anyway, where's Chie?"

"Oh, she's upstairs..." said Yurie. "Well... she's kind a bit disturbed by the limelight, so please help her to deal with this matter..."

"I'll try..." nodded Yukiko. She went upstairs to Chie's room. As she was standing in front of her best friend's room, she knocked the door. "Chie, it's me..."

The door was opened by a brunette woman, who was dressed in green shirt and denim skirt. "Oh, it's so nice to see you today..." the woman, Chie smiled. "Come in..."

Yukiko entered the familiar-looking room. Chie closed the door before she sighed. She went to her bed and sat on it. "Well then, people already know about our power, right? So it won't be a problem to us to display our power in front of them..."

"Yeah..." nodded Yukiko. "It makes easier for us..."

"But..." then, Chie lowered her gaze. "It disturbs me to no end... people all over Inaba called me 'Chie-sama' this, 'Chie-sama' that... thanks for that old man Gin who told the people about me..." she sighed again.

"I know..." Yukiko smiled. "Hmm... when I come here, I haven't seen Yosuke-kun yet. Where's he?"

"Huh? Yosuke... well, he's going outside for a bit..." replied Chie. "He seems kinda depressed, you know."

"Oh." Yukiko placed her finger on her chin before she asked Chie another question. "Ah, I almost forget it. It's about at Shibuya Crossing. How could Yosuke-kun took your place and disguised himself as you?"

"Oh... he said to me that old man Gin taught him something like ninjutsu or whatever it is. It's kinda complicated to tell such thing though since he didn't tell me much about it..." then, Chie sighed. "That Yosuke... I wonder why he's becoming so reserved nowadays, it gives me no fun when I'm there to tease him anymore..."

"Eh?" Yukiko looked at the brunette woman before she frowned. "Tease him?"

"What's with that look, Yukiko?" asked Chie as the raven-haired woman began to smirk mischievously.

"Ehehe..." Yukiko chuckled. "I sense some kind of affection on you towards Yosuke-kun, Chie... but I wonder what kind of affection is that..."

"W-What?! Yukiko!! What're you talking about?!" Chie flustered. "It's not like you're thinking of!!"

"Ooh... but your face reddened, Chie..." Yukiko pointed her finger to Chie's face. "And the sole explanation for such situation is that..."

"D-Don't say it!!" Chie tried to coax her best friend from teasing her.

"You truly love Yosuke-kun, isn't it?" Yukiko smiled mischieviously. "Chie, if you truly do, please admit it..."

"N-No... there's no way I can even love him!!" exclaimed Chie embarrassedly.

"So, you hate him?"

"Ngh..." grunted Chie. "T-That's not what I mean..." she lowered her gaze. "I-I just concerned about him..."

"Concerned?" Yukiko tilted her head.

"Y-Yeah..." nodded Chie. "Well, you know... when Saki-senpai died, I could feel that Yosuke's truly devastated for that..." she lowered her gaze, trying to hide her blushed face from her friend. "I know that's an old story, but I still can feel that... he can't forget it just like that. It's like he's tormenting himself, blaming his own self for Saki-senpai's death..."

"How did you feel that?" asked Yukiko.

"I don't know..." Chie shook her head. "It just like that I can feel something is not right about him. He tries to hide sadness which burdens him to all the time, and I've got a feeling that he will carry the burden until the end..." he looked up to see Yukiko's face. "He keeps smiling and makes those crazy stunts so he can preoccupy himself from thinking about such thing, and I can feel it... he hides his sadness deep within his heart..."

"I see..." Yukiko smiled gently. "That's so nice of you, Chie..." she placed her hand on Chie's shoulder. "If you think he's like that... then, try to love him..."

"L-Love?"

"Yeah, love..." nodded Yukiko. "From what I've heard from you just now, he keeps burdening himself because of his love to Saki-senpai. If you truly care about Yosuke-kun, why don't you just give him love, a new one that he can cherish, something that can bring enlightenment to him and something that can free himself from the burden..."

"Yukiko..." squeaked Chie.

"Chie, this is your chance to be a salvation for the mankind which is another matter, and for Yosuke-kun as well..." said Yukiko. "You're his salvation... I know if someone can share the burden with him, that someone should be you..."

"I-I..." Chie seemed confused. "I don't know..." she shook her head before tears came out from her eyes and rolled on her cheeks. "I just simply don't know..."

"Chie..." then, Yukiko hugged the crying brunette woman. "I know it would be tough... but I believe that only you can save him..." she said reassuringly as she's comforting the crying Chie.

~darkness~

Dojima's Residence...

"And that concludes my explanation..." said Gin to a detective, Dojima Ryoutaro. Souji was sitting beside Dojima.

"I see..." nodded Dojima. "I can understand that part since Misanori-san had told me about such thing, but the thing that disturbs me the most is about Serpent Tail..." he looked at the red-eyed old man. "Are you saying that they'll return again?"

"That's the idea so far..." said Gin. "And for avoiding such thing to happen, government had sent the military forces throughout Japan to protect the people from any upcoming danger... but it wasn't enough without your nephew's assistance..." he gestured to the silverette who was sitting beside Dojima.

"T-That's a little..." Dojima scratched his head. "I mean, this task is dangerous for a youngster like him. Are you sure it's going to be alright?" asked the detective.

"That's not a problem at all, Dojima..." said Gin. "He'll be okay to be a part of the Eaters, and Souji himself volunteered to join us..."

"I see..." nodded Dojima. "Then, there's nothing I can do for that. He's yours, but if you could, please protect him..."

"I will do that..." said Gin. "Thank you for your cooperation, Dojima..." he offered his hand for a handshake. Dojima accepted the hand.

"Souji, I know this is very dangerous, so the only thing I can do is to give support for you..." said Dojima to his silver-haired nephew. Souji nodded. Then, Dojima stood up and went upstairs.

"Thank you for helping me, Gin-san..." thanked Souji.

"Anytime..." shrugged Gin. "After that battle, you kids have become famous throughout Japan, so it can't be helped..."

"Hehe, I know that..." nodded Souji. "Anyway, what Yosuke's doing now?"

"I don't really know..." shrugged the old man. "But, he said to me that he's going to Yasoinaba's cemetery. He said he's going to pay some respects for someone he cherished the most..."

"Cemetery?" Souji frowned before he smiled. "That kid... he's still not changing..."

"I know something is not right about Yosuke..." said Gin. "He's kinda upset when I asked him about Chie, it's like he's holding something within him..."

"I truly understand that, Gin-san..." said Souji. 'So, is there anything I can help him?"

"Of course you'll help him..." said Gin. "Because of that, would you like to give me a favor?"

~darkness~

A certain brunette man in Junes-branded shirt and red pants was standing in front of a tomb in Yasoinaba's cemetery. He was standing in front of the tomb for almost three hours after his arrival. His face expressed no emotion, unlike his usual self that he always shown in front of people.

"Saki-senpai..." then, he muttered. In front of him was a grave of the second victim of the mysterious killings five years ago, Konishi Saki. There's no way he could forget her just like that after all these years of calm.

He looked in front of the tomb. A bottle of sake could be seen in front of it, might probably put by Saki's brother, Naoki. He smiled. After being friend of Souji, Naoki was no longer wary to Yosuke as Junes boy. So, he could no longer feel the guilt while visiting Saki's grave.

"Yosuke-kun..."

Yosuke looked behind as he heard the voice. Behind him was Yukiko, as usual dressed in red. The raven-haired woman flashed the brunette man a smile before she walked to Yosuke's side as she looked at Saki's mark stone.

"So, you're here after all..." said Yukiko, looking at the grave mark. "Emm... Mori Ranmaru, isn't that a rare liquor that we can only get from Konishi Liquor store?" she implied to the bottle of the sake in front of the tomb. Yosuke frowned as he looked at the woman in red.

"Yukiko, what're you doing here?" asked Yosuke.

"Well... I've got an idea that you're here, that's all..." said Yukiko. "And... I want to pay some respect for Saki-senpai too..." she closed her eyes. "She's also one of our reasons to search for the truth at that time..."

Yukiko put her hands together as a moment of silence seemed to come. After some while, Yukiko opened her eyes and lowered her hands. "You're here since the morning, aren't you?" she asked the brunette man beside her.

"Sort of..." Yosuke scratched his head. "I went to Tatsuhime Shrine to pay some respect for Princess Kushinada before I came here..." then, he looked on his palm. "I know I won't be able to escape from this fate; live or die as a Royal Knight of Chie. I know what will be put on the stake; it's my life, but when it comes to the safety of my friends, I dare to lose anything, even my life..."

"Yosuke-kun..." the black-haired woman looked at the man with kind eyes.

"With this power, I will protect everyone; Chie, you, Souji, all my friends, and all people around me..." he clenched his fist. "I won't ever let anyone to die, just like what had happened to Saki-senpai..."

Yukiko smiled. "Yosuke-kun, you've grown mature now..." commented Yukiko. "It makes me feel like I'm falling in love with you..."

The statement managed to make Yosuke petrified. "W-What?! What're you talking about?!"

"Teehee, just kidding..." Yukiko chuckled. "But that values have attracted Chie..." said Yukiko playfully.

"Yukiko! Are you kidding me?! There's no way Chie can even 'like' me?!" exclaimed Yosuke. "If she's truly a princess, she's a tyrant one!! She's abusing the power on me like a dictator!!"

"Oh yeah, tyrant you say..." Yukiko tilted her head. "But, she's quite soft inside, she cares about you..."

"Cares?" Yosuke frowned.

"She can feel that you still can't let the past go, Yosuke-kun..." she looked at the mark stone. "You keep dwelling with your feeling towards Saki-senpai. You truly love her, even though she's no longer around..."

"T-That's..." Yosuke lowered his gaze. "T-There's no way I can love Chie! Or at least, try to love Chie..." he placed his hand on his chest. "I just... simply can't love her..."

"Hmm?" one of Yukiko's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"I wish I can love her..." said Yosuke, still looking down. "But, I can't even forget Saki-senpai..." then, he looked up to see the sky. "There are some nights that I had that dream, no... Nightmare. It's about Saki-senpai, writhing in pain, just the same when I last saw her in Midnight Channel..." he closed his hazel eyes. "She begged for assistance, but... I couldn't move even an inch."

"Then, she was covered by darkness, not before saying that words..." Yosuke smiled sadly. "You know what she said to me?"

Yukiko looked at the brunette man as she listened for what he said.

"She said... 'I hate you'..." then, he chuckled. "That's funny. If she said something like that, why didn't I just forget about her? When she said that to me, I felt some kind of unusual pain on my chest... it's not a frustration, but a temptation..."

After that, Yosuke sighed heavily. "The dreams make me tempted to say 'I love you' or 'forgive me' to her..."

"Yosuke-kun..." Yukiko smiled to Yosuke. "You truly love Saki-senpai, aren't you? Then, why don't you let it go, search for something that you can cherish... something that pretty much alive, unlike Saki-senpai..."

"I wish I can do that!" exclaimed Yosuke loudly, making Yukiko startled. "But I can't! The dream keeps coming and coming, it disturbs me to no end!! Call me 'obsessed' or something like that, but I can't simply forget her and try to love other person besides her!"

Then, Yosuke fell to his knees. "I know... I wish I can love Chie..." he sobbed as tears rolled on his cheeks. "I can feel that I've started to love Chie, and I want to say that I love Chie too, but I can't. My obsession to Saki-senpai precedes everything..."

"Yosuke-kun..." then, Yukiko crouched before unexpectedly hugged the crying man, much to Yosuke's surprise. "Don't cry..."

"Yukiko?! W-What're you doing?!" asked Yosuke as his face reddened. "Souji will kill me if he sees this!!"

"Yosuke-kun..." Yukiko wiped Yosuke's tears with her finger. "It's alright, it's really alright..." said Yukiko reassuringly. "To love, to be loved, those are the qualities that make us humans... I know you won't be able to forget Saki-senpai, but she's a shadow of the past, a virtual mirage in reality..." somehow, Yosuke could feel Yukiko's body was trembling.

"Live is like an image on a piece of mirror, it can be reflected, bent and even refracted by just adjusting the mirror. And the mirror itself is ourselves, in this case, you..." then Yukiko stopped for a while before she continued. "You have the power to change your life by just 'adjusting' your 'mirror'. I truly understand why you can't forget Saki-senpai, but you can't just look back and dwell for the past, because what lies ahead is future, an actual reflection of your own self. Just try to love, and try to be loved... and you'll eventually find your true happiness..."

"Yukiko..." Yosuke looked at the woman before he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her forward. "I totally guarantee that Souji will kill me if he finds out that you hug me..."

Then, he smiled. "But, thanks..." Yosuke stood up. "Thanks for that advice, Yukiko, even though it might be hard for me to fully understand that..." after that, Yosuke looked at the tomb. "But, I still can't even forget her..."

Yukiko patted Yosuke's shoulder. "Take your time, Yosuke-kun..." she smiled serenely. "I believe the time will come for you to have a firm decision for your own life." Yukiko looked at her watch. "Oh! It's late already!! I should get back and help my mother for the works!! See you soon!!" then, Yukiko walked away.

Yosuke sighed before he looked at the tomb. "Saki-senpai..." he closed his eyes. "Although I can't make that decision yet, I am very grateful for the first time of my living... I am blessed to have my friends... very good friends..."

Then, he looked to the sky.

"Saki-senpai..."

A serene smile was curved on his lips.

"Please watch over me, because I will save this world, together with my friends..."

~darkness~

Yukiko walked joyfully as she hummed a rhyme before she stopped in front of a huge tree nearby and looked at it, only to see a silver-haired man who was leaning himself on the mentioned tree.

"You've made it quite well, Yukiko..." said the silverette, Souji as he looked at his girlfriend.

"Don't mention it, Souji-kun..." said Yukiko happily. "If it can make Chie and Yosuke-kun happy, I will gladly do it..."

"It's good to hear that..." Souji lowered his gaze. "Sorry if I bothered you today because of this matter. Gin asked me to help Yosuke out, but due to some unexplainable reasons, I can't talk to him about this matter, so you are the only person who can do it on my behalf..." said Souji in somewhat a dull tone.

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko looked at her boyfriend. "Is something wrong with you? You sound a little weird today..."

Suddenly, an imaginary chibi Konohana Sakuya appeared and lighted up a little candle within Yukiko's mind before both mentioned imaginary things disappeared with a poof. "Oh, don't tell me you're jealous...." she smirked mischievously, making the usually pensive and stoic silverette startled.

"Ehh?!" an unusual shade of red appeared on Souji's cheeks. "I mean..." he tried to regain his composure. "What're you talking about?"

"Well..." Yukiko put her finger under her chin. "When I hug Yosuke-kun earlier, are you jealous by seeing that?"

"That's..." Souji seemed to be hesitated. "I'm not!" he said firmly, or so it seemed.

Then, Yukiko pouted. "You don't even mind it... that's cruel..." she tried to make her best sulky face in front of Souji. "Do you still love me?"

"Ngh..." grunted Souji before he sighed. "Alright, alright..." he finally gave up. "Well... I quite a bit jealous for that..."

Yukiko smiled happily before she laughed. "Ahahahaha, I knew it!! Anyway, sorry for making you jealous... is that poor heart of yours having some wounds to be healed?"

"Indeed..." nodded Souji before he went towards Yukiko, hugging her and pressing his lips on hers. Yukiko's eyes widened in a while before she responded by hugging the silverette back. Some moments later, Souji pulled his head behind and breathed in some oxygen for his precious lungs. "That's the way to treat those severe wounds on my heart..." he smiled evilly, making the raven-haired woman blushed.

"You..." Yukiko looked at other direction so she could hide her expression from the smiling silverette. "You're evil..."

"Evil is good..." Souji grinned.

After that, Souji looked at the sky before he said something. "Somehow, I can feel something will happen in the future... that might separate both of us..." then, he looked at his girlfriend's face, who seemed to be surprised by sudden statement. "This hug might gonna be the last time for us..."

"Mmu..." Yukiko shook her head. "That's not true..." she tightened her hug on the silver-haired man. "You've promised, right? You will propose me after your graduation, having a happy wedding at Amagi Inn, living together while protecting each other and having a happy life till the end..." she smiled sadly. "You've promised that, remember?"

Souji tried to smile reassuringly just like what he always gave to his girlfriend. "I remember..." he nodded. "But, it's just a feeling, and I hope that's not even true..."

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko looked at Souji's metallic gray eyes with her glistening black orbs.

"But, I'm just hoping that... nothing can separate us..." said Souji. "It's just a hope though..."

"Hope can be realized, Souji-kun..." said Yukiko with a smile.

"You're right..." Souji closed his eyes, letting himself sank within his own thoughts as Yukiko hugged him. In an instance, all the burdens that he received after having the evil-tainted power went out from his mind. In that moment, he was hoping to have the power to stop the time, so they could be like that throughout eternity.

"I love you, Souji-kun..." said Yukiko.

"I know..." replied Souji.

He never thought that words would probably save him from falling into a pit of darkness.

I love you...

It is a sentence of salvation for a certain mortal who is slowly assimilated by darkness, and his name is Seta Souji.

~darkness~

Yahoo!! Chapter 49 is updated to be reviewed by the readers!! Sorry if this chapter might be scrappier than usual, but please bear with me. Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter, it makes me motivated to no end. Due to the Battle of Tokyo, Souji, Yukiko, Yosuke and Chie were known throughout Japan. Naoto and Kanji weren't known since they fought the Serpent Tail far from the public, but they'll be eventually exposed to the public as well. In this chapter, I've made Yukiko like what you've seen above, but I've tried to make her stays in her character while having those conversations with Yosuke and Chie. It is a bunch of hard works though since it needs me to study more about her, and I've added some values in her which was taken from Ryoji's pure curiosity to see the outcome of the actions that he had done (because Ryoji spent more time with her due to her training). Okay, that's enough for now, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	50. Serenade

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 50: Serenade

"Okay, one more turn!!" ordered Minato to Naoto who was running on the private track in Shirogane's private gym. The shorter bluenette seemed to be exhausted as her new teacher started the training regime. "Do it properly, or else!!"

"R-Right!!" nodded Naoto who was dressed in sport attire before she started to run back from the starting point of the track for one more time. Minato, with Ryoji beside him was observing the training's progress.

"She's quite unathletic, but she's also quite enthusiastic about this as well..." said Minato to the black-haired man beside him. "All this time, she trained the upper part of her body, particularly her arms so she can use firearms properly, but she's lacking the strength for the lower part of her body, especially her feet..."

"Hmm... since she's a long-ranged fighter, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi doesn't really suit her since its nature is that it can only reach a particular distance, only elongated with the aids of projectiles and vessels..." added Minato. "At least I should work her out to be a middle-ranged fighter..."

"I see..." mused Ryoji. "It's really good to have an apprentice, isn't it?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Minato.

Finally, Naoto managed to finish the running, and she seemed to be tired because of it. She panted heavily, trying to get some oxygen for her lungs. Minato took a towel and went to her, tossing the towel to her.

"That's all for today, Naoto..." said Minato.

"I-I... I still can do it..." said Naoto between her breaths.

Minato sighed before he gave Naoto a bottle of drinking water. "Having a rest is also a part of the training. Since I have to monitor your progress, it seems that I have to stay here for a while..." he took out his cell phone. "I'll tell your grandfather about it..."

"You... stay here?" Naoto seemed agitated by that and started to blush.

"Sheesh..." sighed Minato. "There's no need to worry, Naoto... unlike that idiot..." he gestured to the mentioned black-haired man with the yellow scarf. "...I won't do anything to you. I just hope that you still have some empty rooms..."

"Well..." hummed Naoto. "There are some of them upstairs..." then, she smiled. "And, I think I shouldn't worry if it's you, Minato-san..."

Minato was petrified by Naoto's dazzling smile, which was rare to be seen. The navy-haired man could feel something pounding on his chest. He tried to cover his anxiety by turning back and said. "Get a good rest for today. Tomorrow's training will be 'swimming', and you may take a dip in your swimming pool if you want to prepare yourself for tomorrow..."

'S-Swimming?" Naoto was surprised. Ryoji smirked before he went towards Naoto.

"If you want a swimsuit or something like that, I've plenty of 'em..." said Ryoji as he smirked. Minato turned his head to Ryoji and the black-haired man said that to Naoto before he glared to him with such a very venomous glare that could be seen.

"I'll make you regret if you say it again, stupid..." said Minato before he went out from the private gym.

Ryoji sighed before he followed Minato, not before saying something to Naoto.

"I won't stay here, so don't worry too much..." said Ryoji. "Minato may look like that, but deep inside, he's too soft..."

After saying that to Naoto, he went from the gym.

"Minato-san..." Naoto looked at the door.

~darkness~

Minato was standing in front of two portraits of his deceased parents, which were displayed in a room which was solely being made for that purpose. Before being used as a display room, that room once was a music room, where Minato learned how to play violin and other musical instruments with his mother.

He sighed. He still could clearly remember when he was a part of the Shiroganes. Shirogane Minato, a name which had been abandoned by him when he was seven, after surviving that fateful incident. He obtained the surname 'Arisato' from his aunt, who is from his mother's side. The Arisato family is a lesser branch of Shirogane Clan and most of them are oblivious about the true nature of the devil-summoning clan. The life wasn't hard than he had expected, but the new life brought a new aspect to him; emptiness.

He couldn't help himself for despising his grandfather for his action to disown him after the incident, but the hatred brought nothing but more pain to him. So, he decided to silently forgive the man. There's no reason for him to not forgive a man who took a good care to his sister, Naoto.

"This room's becoming smaller..." said Minato as he observed the room. Then, he took a chair nearby and put it opposite the portraits. He took out his plain baroque violin from his bag, preparing himself to play the musical instrument. He closed his eyes so he could concentrate himself to play the violin.

As he began to play the instrument, a relic from his past resurfaced within his mind. The relic, which took a form of a brunette woman who playing the similar violin, sitting on the chair while playing a very astounding yet serene piece of music. The music which the woman played and the music that Minato had played seemed to overlap with each other before it merged into a single piece of music.

The brunette woman smiled serenely before another person came. It was a blue-haired man, dressed in traditional detective attire, standing behind the woman and smiled triumphantly. He put his hands on the woman's shoulder.

Minato smiled. Then, the image shattered as he lowered the tune and played the violin normally. He continued to play the instrument as some recollections of his pasts continuously resurfaced within his mind.

Meanwhile, Naoto was walking along the corridor before she heard the music. She could feel something familiar from the music before she dashed towards the direction of the fleeting melody. Then, she arrived in front of the room where Minato was playing his violin. Naoto watched Minato from the outside as she felt a very familiar feeling from the music Minato was playing.

"This music..." uttered Naoto. "...I've heard it before..."

In an instance, Naoto could see a brunette woman, sitting on Minato's place, playing the similar white violin while a blue-haired boy was sitting on her laps. The boy smiled happily to his mother.

_Mom!! I bet Naoto-chan will like it!!_

Naoto was startled before the scene reverted to normal. Minato realized Naoto's presence as he stopped playing the violin. He put the instrument aside before he stood up.

"Ah... I'm sorry for intruding this room, Naoto..." said Minato apologetically.

"N-No... that's alright..." Naoto shook her head. "But, the music seems to sound very familiar to me... where did you learn it, Minato-san?"

Minato seemed to be thinking for a while before he spoke. "I learned it from my mother..." he decided to tell the truth about the music, but not to tell about him being Naoto's biological older brother.

"Oh..." mused Naoto. "But... why does the music seem to be very familiar to me?"

"Your mother is a musician, right?" Minato looked at his mother's portrait. The brunette woman in the portrait is Minato's mother, and also Naoto's, only with the fact that Naoto didn't know that Minato has a same mother as her. "Besides being a musician, she's also a well-known detective on her own and often helped your father in solving the cases, right?"

"How do you know?" asked Naoto.

"Because I really know them, more than you..." Minato smiled at Naoto. "I really admire them, just like how I admire my parents..."

"Emm..." Naoto looked at Minato. "Your parents died in a car accident, right? My parents..." she turned her attention to the portraits. "They also died in a car accident, and my grandfather said that my brother and my sister died in the accident as well..."

Minato lowered his gaze. Just hearing those words from Naoto was enough to shred his heart into microscopic pieces as she mentioned about those who died in that fateful incident. The accident claimed his parents' life as well as his cheerful fraternal twin's life, and along with them, his soul.

"Minato-san..." then, Naoto's voice abruptly shattered Minato's recollections. "Are you alright? You look pale..."

"I-I'm alright, Naoto..." Minato tried to reassure his sister who hadn't known about herself being Minato's sister. "I'm going out!"

Hastily, Minato went out from the room, leaving Naoto along with his white baroque violin. Naoto looked at the instrument before reluctantly reached her hand towards it. As her finger touched the polished instrument, a sudden thought resurfaced within her mind as she could see two imaginary figures in front of her, which took form of two blue-haired kids.

_Big Bro's playing is great!!_

The smaller one, a blue-haired girl with short hair seemed to praise the taller one, a blue-haired boy with the same hair fashion as the girl one. The boy smiled happily before he patted the girl's head with his left hand. His right hand was holding a white baroque violin.

_I promise I will teach you, Naoto... I will teach you after we return from the Port Island..._

The five-years-old Naoto enjoyed the pat before she exclaimed happily.

_Big Bro is the greatest brother in the world!!_

Naoto's eyes widened before the imaginary figures vanished. She abruptly pulled her hand away from the violin. Beads of sweat could be visibly seen on her forehead before she wiped them.

'What was that?" she muttered. The voice of the blue-haired boy rang within her mind.

_I promise I will teach you, Naoto... I will teach you after we return from the Port Island..._

"Port... Island?"

~darkness~

Minato was standing in front of his parents' tomb stones. He gave them some respects as he prayed for them. He took a chance to pay a visit to the graves at his time to train Naoto in the massive family's manor. He wished he could make a frequent visit to them before his ultimate death because of his depleting health.

"Mom..." he muttered. "I still can remember about what you said to me before..." he lowered his gaze. "Life is like a music played by a violin... by playing the violin in different ways, different kinds of music can be produced. Violin... is the self, it is..." he looked on his palm. "...me..."

He looked back to his mother's tomb. "You had said it once that a happy life is signified by a harmonious song, a lullaby; serenade..." he smiled. "You once made one of them... you called it 'Serenade'..." after that, he chuckled. "After some while, that idea might be cliche, but... it's wonderful, amazing..."

"Mom..." his tears rolled on his cheeks. "I wish I can craft my own 'Serenade', just like what you had created... a happy life, having wife and children, getting good jobs, spending old days with no regret and dying peacefully on the death bed with children and grandchilden around..." he wiped his tears. "But... I can't..."

Then, Minato could feel a gentle poke on his shoulder before a ghostly image of his mother appeared behind him. Then, the ghostly figure hugged Minato from behind. Although the figure seemed to be extremely ethereal, he could feel familiar warmth from the touch. After that, another ghostly figure appeared which took form of his father. The blue-haired ghostly figure placed his hand on Minato's head, patting it occasionally. Then, the hand shifted from Minato's head onto Minato's shoulder.

_Don't worry, Minato-chan... We're always with you..._

_Just persevere, Minato... I know you can do it, since you are my son..._

"Mom... Dad..." Minato put his hands on his parents' hands. "Please give me strength..."

_I wish Hamu-chan is here as well..._

Minato smiled sadly as his mother mentioned his deceased sister's name.

"I swear, until the last of my breath... I will protect Naoto..." said Minato. "I don't want to lose another person who has the same blood as what is flowing within my veins..." he looked at his father and his mother before both of them dissipated in thin air. "I will protect Naoto... I promise I will protect Naoto..."

Sometimes, resolve can strengthen a fragile soul...

~darkness~

At night, Naoto couldn't sleep because of those images. She decided to have a walk around the mansion before ending up herself in Shirogane's private gym. She went beside the swimming pool to see the water in it.

"Port... Island?" she muttered. "They died in Port Island?"

All information regarding the car crash had been destroyed, thanks to Shirogane Misanori. No information about the car crash had been shown to Naoto.

"Why Grandpa destroyed them?" she looked on her palm. "Does he try to hide something from me?"

The blue-haired woman sighed. With no clue about the accident, she could only believe in her sense, which was arguably couldn't be used in her reasoning, but it seemed that she didn't have any choice for that.

"Why?" she asked herself. "Why it's very hard for me to search for my own origin?"

She grunted before she tried to walk away from the side of the pool. But, unfortunately, before she could turn behind, she lost her balance, making herself fell into the swimming pool. She was surprised by that, and couldn't do anything as she didn't know how to swim.

She tried to swim but to no avail as she began to sink into the pool. After some moments of struggling, finally she gave up and let herself sank into the pool bed.

_I-I... I can't do it!!_

Slowly, her vision faded before she closed her eyes. She felt that she couldn't make herself out from the water before her ears caught some kind of fleeting music, which resembled the piece of music by a violin.

_W-What is this?_

She opened her eyes and saw a pair of familiar bluish gray eyes which almost resembled hers, along with glistening shade of blue before she felt like she was held by a pair of strong arms. Then, she could feel that she was taken upwards. The music was still playing in her head before she reached the surface of water. In a glimpse of her eyes, she could see a tall man, holding her tightly as he brought her to the edge of the pool.

Then, Naoto could feel that she was put down on the floor at the edge of the floor. Her clothes were soaked and wet and she coughed out water. After that, she could see a tall man beside her, who had his clothes wet as well. The man was Minato.

"Are you alright?" Minato crouched, putting his hand on Naoto's head. "Don't worry... you're safe now..." he smiled to Naoto.

Naoto's vision was blurred at that time due to her being inside the water for a period of time, and she could see Minato's face overlapped with a blue-haired boy's face that she had seen earlier as an illusion. Naoto could feel some kind of nostalgic feeling by seeing the face.

"B-Big Bro..." squeaked Naoto before she buried her face on Minato's chest, much to the navy-haired man's surprise. He expected the worst as Naoto said it to him.

But, Naoto seemed to regain her sense much to his relief as she realized what she was doing. She lifted her head from Minato's chest and frantically moved back. Her face seemed to redden as some imaginary steam came out from both of her ears.

"I-I'm sorry, Minato-san!! I'm sorry!!" Naoto spoke to the man apologetically. Minato smiled as he felt relieved. Naoto still didn't realize about Minato's status as her brother after all.

"That's okay..." said Minato reassuringly. "Now, you should get some sleep. Change your clothes too, you'll get cold if you're not changing it..."

"Minato-san..." said Naoto hesitantly. "Anyway, thanks for saving me..." she smiled to the taller bluenette. "You have my gratitude..."

Minato nodded before he turned to the door and began to walk away. Then, Naoto's voice stopped him from taking another step.

"Minato-san..." said Naoto. "I know you're different compared to the others... I wish..." she lowered her gaze. "I wish I can know you better..."

Minato sighed before he spoke. "The time will come... it will come eventually..." then, he went out from the room, leaving Naoto alone in the gym.

Hachoo!!

Then, Naoto sneezed.

"Maybe I should change my clothes already..." she muttered.

~darkness~

In the next day, Minato and Ryoji were waiting for Naoto as she changed for her swimsuit. Kanji was there to take a peek in Naoto's training.

"Tatsumi-kun, what makes you come here anyway?" asked Minato to the bleached-haired young man.

"I'm just paying a visit here, that's all..." shrugged Kanji as he answered Minato's question.

"Ohh..." Minato nodded. "Ah, she's here..."

Naoto came out from the room where she changed her clothes. She dressed in blue one-piece swimsuit, which was solely made by none other than Mochizuki Ryoji. Her face reddened as those three men looked at her.

"D-Don't look me like that!!" protested Naoto embarrassedly.

"You look rather good in it, Naoto-kun..." said Minato, still smiling.

"That swimsuit, I've made it solely for you..." said Ryoji. "It's made from rare fabric, and it will help you to swim in water..."

"B-But..." Naoto's face reddened further. "It's flattering most parts of my body..." she spoke shyly.

"Erk?!" Kanji's voice could be heard.

"And..." she put her hands on her chest. "It feels rather tight on my chest..."

"Erghh!!"

Splasshh!!

"Kanji-kun!!"

"Oh no!! Naoto, gimme some tissues, quick!!"

"A-Alright!!"

"Geez... you'll suffer massive blood lost if it continues, Tatsumi..."

Kanji was lying on the floor as blood seemed to came out from his nose. Naoto rushed to his side after taking a box of tissues. Minato was busy nursing the unconscious guy as Ryoji was standing aside, watching them with an amused look.

Sure, something like this could stop a swimming lesson.

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. Chapter 50 is updated, hurray for me!! This chapter is mainly about Minato and Naoto. Well, I don't have many things to explain here, so as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	51. Rhapsody

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 51: Rhapsody

Akihiko was standing in front of a grave of one of his co-workers, who was murdered along with the others in their confrontation with Orochi. Some moments ago, a funeral ceremony had been done, and he seemed to be the last person standing there in the final resting place for the deceased.

"It's tough to lose someone we cherish, isn't it?"

The white-haired police officer turned his attention behind, only to see a middle-aged man with pale blue hair, wearing a policeman cap. As a police officer, Akihiko recognized the man, Shirogane Misanori, who is considered as a living legend of detective and is said as one of the greatest detectives in the world ever exists.

"Shirogane-san..." Akihiko turned his attention back to his friend's tomb stone. "I've lost so many things... many things. Even with my power and strength..." he looked on his palm before he clenched it into a fist. "...I still can't even protect those who are precious to me..."

"Sanada-kun..." Shirogane smiled. "To find and to lose something precious are aspects that make us human. If we lose something, try to find a new one... and if we find something, try to not lose it..." he spoke to the young yet charismatic police-officer with such sagely manner.

"I guess you're right, Shirogane-san..." Akihiko lowered his gaze. "But, if I'm stronger enough, I'm sure..." he smiled sadly. "...just sure, all my friends will be still here with me..."

"Hmm..." then, Shirogane put his hand on Akihiko's shoulder. "Sanada-kun, would you mind to hear a little secret?"

Akihiko looked at Shirogane as the words piqued his interest. "What is it, Shirogane-san?"

"First of all, do you know about Satonaka Chie?" asked Misanori.

~darkness~

Chie was in the backyard of her house, standing motionlessly on the ground. She closed her eyes, letting nothing around her to bother her concentrating her mind. Then, she slowly opened her eyes before she looked towards a little canary on a branch of a tree and she whistled to it.

"Don't be scared..." said Chie reassuringly. "I won't hurt you..."

The little canary looked at Chie curiously. Then, it flew away from the branch and perched on Chie's shoulder. Chie smiled happily as she placed her finger under the bird's beak.

"Good boy..." said Chie. "Then, I'll let you be my eyes..."

"Chie!!"

Chirp!!

A brunette man came out from the house to the backyard, making the little bird startled and flew away towards a branch. Chie was surprised as well. As she regained her composure, she threw the dirtiest look she could make towards the newcomer.

"Yo-su-ke..." hissed Chie vehemently. "You're harassing my little canary. Then, I shall sentence you a terrible punishment...."

"C-Chie!! Please don't!!" exclaimed Yosuke. "Well... s-sorry about that. I'm just coming back from my house. My father asked me to bring this to you..." said Yosuke as he showed a plastic bag which contained grilled steaks. "He says... 'give this to her and send my regard to her as well'..."

"S-Steak?" Chie took the plastic bag and looked into it, and saw something that could bring her happiness. "I-I... I love it!!"

Yosuke sighed with relief as he managed to vanquish his master's wrath. Then, he looked at the little canary which was on the branch before he smiled. "So, you've learned how to speak with animals?"

Chie nodded. "Mom taught me that... it's fun. I spoke to some dogs and cats some moments ago, and they understood me..." she smiled happily before she lowered her gaze. "With this ability, I hope..." her face reddened. "...I hope I can use it to help you..."

"Chie?" Yosuke felt something awkward in the air as he felt his face reddened as well. The awkward moment continued before they heard a sound of a camera.

Click!!

"Eh?" both of the brunettes looked towards the fence, only to see a suspicious-looking man with black shade, holding a camera which was zoomed towards them.

"Oh my..." then, Yurie came out from the house and saw the paparazzo. "Since you two are famous nowadays, you two should be careful with those people, but it seems that I kinda bit late to say this thing for you two..."

The paparazzo then ran away from them. Chie's eyes widened as she imagined what would happen if the public sees her picture with Yosuke in an awkward situation. Hastily, she turned to Yosuke and ordered him. "Dear my knight Hanamura Yosuke!! You are ordered to stop that paparazzo by any mean!!"

Yosuke knelt to his master before he spoke. "I am under your command, Hime-sama..." then, he grunted. "Ngh... Why should I say something like that nowadays?" he turned to the direction where the paparazzo was going before he jumped towards a tree, and then jumped onto an electrical pole like a ninja. He took out a kunai as he saw the man before he landed in front of the man with his kunai in his hand.

"W-What?!" the paparazzo shocked. "P-Please don't kill me!!"

"I won't do that..." said Yosuke monotonously. "Unless if you don't give that camera to me..."

"I-I won't give this to you either!!" exclaimed the paparazzo before he pointed his hand towards a certain direction. "Look, a Martian!!"

"Huh?" Yosuke turned his attention towards the pointed direction and saw nothing. As he looked back in front of him, the paparazzo wasn't there anymore. He looked behind and saw that paparazzo, running away from him.

"Shit..." cursed Yosuke before he sighed. "Oh well... it can't be helped..."

He closed his eyes before he snapped his fingers and muttered. "Explode..."

Boom!!

An explosion occurred at the place where the paparazzo was on. The camera flew towards Yosuke and he took it with one of his hands. He smiled as the smoke subsided, revealing an unconscious paparazzo, who seemed to be partially naked because of the explosion.

"At least that explosion won't kill him..." said Yosuke, crushing the camera with his hands. "Hehe, I never thought this explosion charm can be quite useful sometimes..."

"E-Ergh..." then, the paparazzo grunted. "M-My camera..."

"Oh..." Yosuke went towards the paparazzo. "This is your camera... but, due to some reasons, I destroy it... I hope you won't ever mind that..." he tossed the damaged camera to the lying paparazzo.

"I-I'll call police for injuring me!!" said the paparazzo angrily despite his injuries. Yosuke frowned before he leaned in.

"Police won't be able to do anything because... until the time for us to save you guys, we are the authority..." said Yosuke. "Everything Satonaka Chie says will be the rule, and you people will have to obey it..."

Yosuke began to walk away, before he stopped and glanced to the paparazzo. "Oh, there's one more thing. If you decide to spread about this matter or try to spread a rumor to disgrace Satonaka Chie, the punishment will be severe than earlier. Well, that's a warning..." said Yosuke.

"R-Right!!" said the paparazzo before he ran away from Yosuke.

"Hehe... it's good to be evil once in a while..." said Yosuke with a smirk.

Unnoticed by Yosuke, Gin was observing him from a branch of a tree. Ryoji was there as well.

"He went a little overboard it seems..." sighed Gin. "But it can't be helped. Sometimes, that's a good way to solve things..."

"Really?" Ryoji looked at the old man as he smirked. "Doesn't he remind you to yourself?"

"Maybe..." Gin shut his crimson eyes. "Just maybe..."

~darkness~

Minato yawned as he finally arrived at his house after spending some nights at Shirogane's mansion. Then, he frowned as he saw two women, waiting for him in front of his house.

"Yukari, Aigis..." Minato looked at both blonde gynoid and brunette archer with one of his eyebrows up. Then, he sighed. "Don't tell me you two have those kind of resolve again..."

"Minato-kun..." said Aigis. "I know about your involvement regarding that event, about Orochi and Chie-san..." she seemed serious. "Please don't lie to us and tell me the truth about it..."

"Minato-kun, please don't hide it!" said Yukari, seemingly serious as well.

The navy-haired man sighed heavily before he asked those two women. "Tell me, does that dumb headed Ryoji tell you about this?"

Yukari looked at her blonde friend before weakly nodded.

Minato sighed again as he said. "Listen, you two... this matter is getting out of our hands, and I wish I can put you out from this matter. Leave this town and go back to Tatsumi Port Island, it's much safer for now. Just..." he lowered his gaze. "...go away from here..."

"Are you casting us away?" asked Yukari. "Geez... as usual, you're being selfish again..."

"If I have to, I must..." reply Minato solemnly. "Just stay away from my sight, it's much safer method for you two to live for now..."

"Minato-kun!!" protested Aigis. "I won't leave your side ever!!" she placed her hand on her chest. "I-I... I want to live with a purpose, just like the other people have..." she looked at Minato with her cyan eyes. "And my purpose is to stay at your side, until the end..."

"Have you forgotten about what I had said to you before? If you die, I'll die with you too..." said Yukari. "Please... please don't put the burden on your shoulders alone..." she looked at Minato with her teary hazel eyes. "I-I want to be a worthy person for you, for Minato-kun..."

"..." Minato remained silent before he went towards the door of his house and opened it. "If you insist, then it can't be helped. Tomorrow, go to Tatsuhime Shrine and you'll find the answer you have been wishing for..." he spoke to both women with slightly monotonous voice. "But... the reason I want you to leave is because I don't want to let both of you hurt..."

He entered the house and closed the door. Yukari sighed.

"Sheesh... that's Minato-kun for you. As usual, he's becoming so dense like a block of wood..." sighed the brunette woman in pink. "Aigis, I wish that he can share his pain with us, with me..."

"I wish that too..." nodded Aigis. "I know that deep inside, he's in pain..."

~darkness~

Naoto was in front of her computer, surfing Internet. Her teacher, Minato went to his house for a while, leaving her alone in her house. Naoto took this chance to take a look on the car accident in 1999, an event that eventually took her parents' life, as well as her two older siblings.

"Still the same..." sighed Naoto as she managed to hack the system. "Even in the database, the information isn't there..." she lowered her head, sighed heavily as she found nothing that could tell her more about the incident. Then, she heard a sound from her computer, which mean that she received a mail. She opened the inbox and found a mail in it, which was sent from an unknown sender which only wrote its name as PHIL.

"What is this?" Naoto asked herself before she opened the mail, revealing its content. She frowned as she read the content.

_Don't investigate the accident anymore, or suffer a devastating consequence by that... PHIL_

"PHIL?" Naoto looked at the screen. "Who's that?"

Unnoticed by her, a blue butterfly perched on a branch of a tree near the window of Naoto's room.

_Don't ever dare to see it, or the Wheel of Fortune will be turned by that..._

~darkness~

Souji was reading some books in Velvet Library. Since it's a part of Igor's service, he's free to enter the room to get some essential information that could help him throughout his journey.

"Souji-san..." then, a familiar voice could be heard. An elegant-looking woman with blonde hair and yellow eyes came to the silverette with such dazzling smile. "It seems that you're working pretty hard, aren't you?"

Souji sighed before he closed the book. "Margaret..." he looked at the Igor's assistant. "First of all, thank you for allowing me to use this place. It helps me a lot..."

Margaret shook her head. "Please, don't mention it... I am so grateful to provide you assistance, Souji-san..." then, she looked at another direction. "I-It just... this is the only way I could do to pay my debt to you..."

Souji smiled. The woman in blue attire is one of the women who had given her lips to be kissed by him, as the others are Yukiko and Izanami. "No... I am the one who should pay my debt to you. Without your assistance, there's no way for me and my friends to find the truth we were searching for..."

"I-I see..." Margaret lowered her gaze, trying to hide her reddened face. "Anyway, if you have problem here, I would like to help you, in one way or another..."

Souji looked at the yellow-eyed woman before he began to spoke. "My purpose to come here is just to search a way, if there's a way for me to prevent myself from being swallowed by the darkness..." he put his hand on his chest. "I could sense it... the newfound power I've obtained is tainted with evil and sins, taunting my soul to be corrupted until it could not longer withstand the temptation..."

"Darkness?" Margaret frowned.

"Sometimes, I saw a vision..." Souji continued. "...there's another me, standing in the shade of darkness, offering his hand, with two glowing yellow eyes..." Souji closed his eyes. "Same like those Shadows..."

"I see..." Margaret nodded. "In that case, I can't help you much, and the only thing I can do is to give you advice..."

"Advice?" Souji looked at Margaret with such curiosity.

"People do have their hidden selves, the negative aspects that they wish to conceal forever from existence... they are the suppressed selves, something that you can say as 'Shadows'..." explained Margaret. "Those selves are strengthened by emotions or anything that can bring the change on them, like the Links that you've forged with those you cherish..."

"But... if the selves are influenced by negative emotions, such as anger, remorse, vengeance, hatred, sadness and so on, the selves will somehow gain their own consciousness, and begin to take over their host; in this case, you..." she pointed her finger to Souji. "It is the same as Orochi who initially only a bunch of human suppressed selves, which managed to gain his consciousness by negative emotions of human beings. Sooner or later, the darkness will consume you entirely..." she lowered her gaze. "...and the world won't be the same again..."

"So, what should I do?" asked Souji.

"Try to not be consumed by the darkness, Souji-san..." said Margaret. "I know, if someone like you who is a bearer of the truth, you will be able to prevent yourself from being consumed, because within us, there is darkness, and there is light as well..." he put her hand on Souji's shoulder. "The darkness is within you, so does the light. Try to put a balance between them, and you won't be able to be consumed by your own darkness..."

Souji was thinking for a few moments before he nodded. "I think that will help me, Margaret... thank you..." he smiled appreciably to the lady in blue.

"Please don't mention it..." said Margaret before she turned. "Oh, before I forget... have you used that Thanatos' fragment?"

Souji remembered that some months earlier, Margaret had given him the fragment of Thanatos' coffin. He rummaged his pocket and took out the metallic fragment. "I haven't..."

"I see..." Margaret nodded. "Please prepare yourself then, Souji-san... it will come into handy someday later..." she smiled before she went out from the section, leaving alone the silverette.

Souji looked at the fragment before he clenched it.

"The darkness within us... and so does the light..."

~darkness~

At the next day, Akihiko arrived in front of Tatsuhime Shrine after a long journey from Tokyo. Shirogane Misanori was standing beside him.

"So, this is the place that you're talking about, right?" asked Akihiko.

"Indeed." Misanori nodded. "This is the place where the founder of this town, Princess Kushinada was enshrined. And this is the headquarter of our organization, the Serpent Eaters..."

"I see..." nodded Akihiko. "So, are you inviting me to this organization?"

Shirogane nodded. "We will be glad if you're joining us, Sanada-kun. As a police officer, you might become one of our valuable assets that can be used against Serpent Tail..." said the middle-aged man.

After that, Akihiko saw two women, walking to the direction of the shrine. The white-haired police officer recognized them as Yukari and Aigis.

"Yukari? Aigis?" Akihiko looked at both women. As those brunette and blonde women arrived in front of the shrine, they saw Akihiko.

"Senpai?" Yukari seemed to be surprised by seeing her former upperclassman. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm the one who should ask you two that question!" said Akihiko. "What're you doing here?"

"Hmm..." mused Misanori. "I think... Arisato-kun invited them to join us as well..." the middle-aged man looked at both women with such curiosity. "Well... it seems both of you are still young, especially you..." he gestured to Aigis. "You aren't quite a human, right?"

"Eh?" Aigis seemed to be surprised. "How do you know? And... who are you?"

"Ah... pardon me for my rudeness." Misanori bowed apologetically. "My name is Shirogane Misanori, nice to meet you two..." then, he looked back to Aigis. "I know that you're not human because you're not radiating the same aura as human..." after that, he closed his eyes. "Everything around us has its own life force, including human... and from what I've observed from you, you're radiating a non-human aura, but... it's rather quite different than other non-human aura..."

"Different?" Aigis frowned.

"Although I still can sense its crudeness, but the force is rather subtle and soothing. I can sense something alive within your life force, different than other non-human's life forces which lack with it..." Misanori smiled as he reopened his eyes. "It is very remarkable to feel such force from you, Aigis-kun..."

"I see..." Aigis lowered her head. "I'm glad to hear that..." she smiled.

"Wait, you're Shirogane, right? Are you Naoto-kun's grandfather?" asked Yukar as she realized who Misanori is.

"Yes, I am..." nodded the middle-aged man.

"Wow... you're quite young to be a grandfather..." commented Akihiko.

"If you're Naoto-kun's grandfather, so you're also Minato-kun gra-..." suddenly, Yukari realized about Minato's demand to not say about him being Naoto's brother to other people, and hastily stopped.

"What is it, Takeba-kun?" asked Misanori.

"N-Nothing!!" Yukari shook her head nervously. "Anyway, what's the reason for us to be here?"

"You will know it eventually..." Misanori looked at the shrine's entrance. After some while, three individuals came out from the shrine's door. They were Chie, Yosuke and Yukiko. Yosuke was wearing black suit with Tomoe's crest, the symbol of Kushinada Clan, emblazoned on his back. Meanwhile, Yukiko was wearing red yukata-like suit and black long trousers as her hair was tied in ponytail fashion. Between them was Chie, dressed in flower-patterned kimono with short skirt. Tomoe's crest could be seen on her back.

"Oh... it seems three of you are cosplaying..." said Misanori with amused smile.

"Really funny, Shirogane-san..." groaned Yosuke irritably. "That's old witch Yurie... asking me to wear this ridiculous outfit..."

"You look great in it, Yosuke-kun..." commented Yukiko.

"Really?" Yosuke's face brightened.

"Okay, okay..." Misanori made them stopped. "I guess we have new members here. How about if you three make some brief explanation to them?"

"O-Okay!!" nodded Chie. "Well... let's come in..." she turned back and entered the shrine, as Yukiko and Yosuke followed her. After that, Misanori, Akihiko, Yukari and Aigis followed them as well. They went into the shrine's main chamber.

Chie, with Yosuke and Yukiko at both her sides, was standing in the middle of the chamber. "First of all... welcome to Serpent Eaters..." she welcomed those three senior Persona-users. "Our main objective is to prevent the world from being destroyed by Yamata-no-Orochi and his minions, the Serpent Tail..."

"So... that's why Minato-kun can't be contacted nowadays..." commented Yukari.

"Although they have killed many people outside, their main target is me, the owner of the Royal Blood, the heiress of Kushinada Clan..." explained the brunette woman in kimono again. "So, that's why you're here, to protect me, as well to protect many others from the Serpent Tail..."

After that, Chie's hazel eyes glowed, so did Yosuke's and Yukiko's. Then, their Personas emerged above them; Susano-O, Suzuka Gongen and Amaterasu respectively. Yukari and Aigis were surprised to see the phenomenon as Akihiko frowned.

"Thus... you three are welcomed to be a part of us, the Serpent Eaters..." said Chie, shutting her glowing eyes and those ethereal figures vanished. "Let us be a part of the mankind's salvation, protecting them from the horror of the Serpent Tail..." three of them bowed to Akihiko, Yukari and Aigis.

"Wow..." then, Yukiko looked at Chie. "I never thought you can pull out that thing again, Chie..." commented the raven-haired woman, making the brunette heiress blushed.

"T-That's..." she tried to hide her reddened face with the sleeve of her kimono. "Mom taught me to say that!! It's very hard for me to memorize 'em all!!" exclaimed Chie again.

"Well... Chie is still Chie it seems..." shrugged Yosuke. "Anyway, congratulation..." he congratulated those new members of the Eaters.

Suddenly, Chie could feel something unusual as she looked at a certain direction. Yukiko realized it and asked her what happened.

"Chie... what happened?" asked Yukiko to her best friend.

"N-Nothing..." Chie shook her head.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of Satonaka's residence, Yurie was looking at her precious little bonsai before a little canary landed on her shoulder. Yurie frowned before she put her finger under the bird's beak.

"Are you scared?" asked Yurie.

The little canary chirped to Yurie's ear. Yurie nodded before she looked at the sky.

"I know..." the brunette woman muttered. "...even you are scared by the evil force..." she shut her eyes.

"The demon within him..." she looked at the clouds. "...has awakened..."

~darkness~

Huray!! The chapter is completed!! Actually, I have nothing to say here for now since I've suffered a severe writer's block. But never mind that, I hope some dear reviewers can give me some ideas for that. The pool result has been released and I will write about it in the next chapter. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	52. The Chamber of Elders

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 52: The Chamber of Elders

Tsukuyomi was sitting leisurely on his throne, resting his head on his hand as both his glowing red eyes were seemingly closed. Then, he heard someone was knocking the door, making him to open his eyes. He looked at the door before he spoke.

"Please... come in..." said Tsukuyomi, swaying his hand to open the door, revealing a red-haired woman in black kimono. "This time, I wonder why you're here, Kujikawa Rise..."

"Pardon me, Tsukuyomi..." Rise bowed. "I come to you to know about what happened to Chie-senpai and the others..." said the former idol.

"I see..." Tsukuyomi stood up from his throne and walked towards Rise. "About that, don't make yourself worry. Your former comrades are doing just fine..." said the deity of moon. "It just about why my troublesome older brother has to ask for the assistance from the mortals if he himself possesses something like this..." he pointed to one of his crimson eyes.

"What with those eyes?" asked Rise.

Tsukuyomi closed his eyes. "These eyes are known as 'The Divine Eyes of Truth', something that can only be possessed by us, the gods..." he reopened his eyes. "This eyes are the magical eyes that enable us to see through the deceit, falseness, dark and uncertainty... it helps us to see the truth..."

"And... you can use it to hurt my friends..." said Rise bitterly. There's no way for her to forget what had happened to Naoto after Tsukuyomi used the eyes to create those false images which then almost drove her insane.

"T-That's..." Tsukuyomi was surprised by Rise's words. "In that case... I won't use these things for you, Rise..." he looked straight to Rise's eyes. "Because... I love you..." Tsukuyomi tried to touch the woman, but before his hand could touch Rise's cheek, Rise gently pushed it back.

Rise sighed. "Tsukuyomi... I'm sorry..." she said apologetically. "Just... just give me some more time..." said Rise. "Let me think about it first..."

"I see..." Tsukuyomi seemed to understand. "Well then..." Tsukuyomi turned back. "...is there anything that you would like to say to me?"

Rise shook her head. "Nothing, Tsukuyomi-sama..."

"I see..." Tsukuyomi mused. "In that case, you may leave for now..." said the god in black leather tight suit.

"Understood..." nodded Rise before she went out from the chamber, leaving Tsukuyomi alone.

"Kujikawa Rise..." Tsukuyomi looked at the window to see the image of crescent moon outside. "I don't know what this feeling is, but I feel that..." he put his hand on his chest. "...I love you..."

~darkness~

Yukiko opened the door of her home, which is also known as the hidden treasure of Inaba, Amagi Inn. She entered the house and mildly surprised to see a woman clad in familiar pink kimono who was smiling gently at her. Yukiko bowed respectfully to the woman.

"Welcome home, sweetie..." said the woman gently. She is Yukiko's mother, Amagi Yuriko, the current manager of the inn. Despite being in the age of early forty, her appearance seems to be very youthful and almost looks like a young woman in the early age of twenty. Yukiko looks like a carbon copy of her, and the only things that could differentiate both of them are the absence of hair band on Yuriko's head and the color of their eyes. Yukiko's eyes were deep black as Yuriko's were hazel.

"I'm home, Mom..." said Yukiko with a smile. "Where's Dad?"

"Ah, he's doing some works there..." said Yuriko before both mother and daughter heard the footsteps. "That's maybe him..."

Then, a man in black kimono came into their view. That's Yukiko's father, Amagi Shishio. Like Yuriko, his feature seems to be very youthful despite his age of early forty. Yukiko inherited her black eyes from him. The tall man looked at Yukiko before he smiled. "Welcome back, Yuki..."

Yukiko smiled gently before she bowed to the tall man. Then, she walked into the house, leaving her parents in front of the door.

"She's quite energetic nowadays..." commented Yuriko. "At first, it worried me to no end when I knew her involvement in that Orochi's incident..."

"It's not that we can help it..." Shishio sighed. "Besides... it's already fated for the Amagis to involve themselves in this matter..."

"I'm totally aware of it..." nodded Yuriko. She shut her hazel eyes before reopened it, revealing a pair of glowing crimson orbs. "I wonder if Yurie had told her about this matter..."

Shishio shrugged before he looked at his wife as his left eyes shifted its color from the deep black into glowing red. He smiled as he spoke. "Kushinadas sure have some genetic disruption for having these kind of weird eyes..."

"You're saying that yourself despite being a part of Kushinadas..." said Yuriko before she turned back. "It's only a matter of time before Yukiko realizes about this matter as well..." she closed her eyes and reopened them back, making her eyes reverting their color into their original shade. "The ability to see the truth..."

~darkness~

"You've amazed me, young one..." commented Gin as he observed his student's progresses. The young brunette man sure amazed him due to his adaptability to use the any mean of his reflexes and sheer strength, which helped him to cleave a single huge rock with nothing than a plain kunai. Gin went towards the man before he spoke to him. "I've nothing to teach you now; you're my best student so far, better than Hiroshi and Daidara..."

"Thank you, Sensei..." Yosuke bowed to his teacher. "Without you, I won't realize this power as well..." he spoke to the red-eyed man respectfully.

"I see..." Gin mused. "In that case, I assume that you're ready to face the real ordeal for you as the Royal Knight of Kushinada's bloodline..."

The statement left Yosuke confused before Gin said to him. "Follow me... we will go to Tatsuhime Shrine today..."

Meanwhile, at Satonaka's Residence...

"Chie..." Yurie spoke to her daughter who was watching the television. "I want to ask you something..."

"What is it, Mom?" Chie looked at her mother. "Is it important?"

"Hmm..." the elderly Satonaka mused. "Sort of. Have Gin told you about something like 'The Chamber of Elders'?" asked Yurie.

"Huh? Chamber of Elders? What's that?" asked Chie, confused.

"Hmm... it seems that you don't even know about it either..." Yurie stood up. "Chie, please put on those clothes. We're going to Tatsuhime Shrine..."

"W-What? Now?" Chie became more confused than before. "What's this all about?"

"You'll know eventually..." Yurie smiled gently before she went out from the room, leaving Chie to prepare herself. Then, she said loudly from outside. "And don't forget to put on your combat boots either!! You'll need it!!"

"R-Right!!" nodded Chie.

~darkness~

Yuriko was having tea in the living room before a little sparrow entered the house through the window and landed on her head. The woman realized it as she felt that her head had been poked by something before she chuckled. She outstretched her hand before the little sparrow jumped from Yuriko's head to her finger.

"You're naughty, Kurogane-kun..." said Yuriko as she smiled to the little bird. The bird chirped to the woman. Yuriko tilted her head before she nodded.

"I see what you mean, Kurogane-kun..." said Yuriko. "You may leave now, it's good to see you and don't forget to feed your children as well. Ah, don't forget to send my regard to your wife as well..." she smiled gently to the little bird as the bird acknowledged it by a nod before it flew away through the same window where it entered. Yuriko sighed before she spoke.

"I hope Yurie will be okay then..." Yuriko sighed. "For now, it's her turn to face the same fate as her ancestors..."

~darkness~

Gin and Yosuke arrived in front of Tatsuhime Shrine. They were standing at the shrine's ground until Yurie and Chie came. Chie was dressed in her floral-patterned kimono as Yurie was in her usual outfit; something that a common housewife will wear.

"We're here, Oji-san..." said Yurie to Gin. Somehow, her voice sounded solemn.

"Thank you for coming, Yurie..." said Gin. "Anyway, let's proceed..." Gin went into the shrine and the three others followed him. As they entered the main chamber of the shrine, Chie felt something was odd. She could hear a whispery voice, calling upon her name.

"The Elders are calling upon you, Chie..." said Gin.

"Elders?" Chie was confused. "What does that suppose to mean?"

"It is the Chamber of the Elders, a part of this shrine which can only be entered by the heiress and her knight, as well as her predecessor who is still alive..." explained Yurie. "In this case, it's me..."

"Chamber of the Elders is something that even a God is forbidden to enter..." said Gin. "You two need to enter this chamber as the last ordeal before the conclusive end of the Requiem..."

"What kind of ordeal is that?" asked Yosuke.

"You'll eventually know it, when we're entering the chamber..." replied Yurie. "And it seems that I have to enter the chamber as well..."

"Why?" asked Chie to her mother.

Yurie smiled gently before she closed her eyes as her body glowed, much to Chie's and Yosuke's surprise. Her plain clothes transmogrified into a black kimono with the same floral patterns as Chie's clothes on it, as well as a symbol of Kushinada Clan, Tomoe. After that, a katana with its sheath appeared in her hand. After the magical transformation, Yurie reopened her eyes to reveal a pair of majestic glowing crimson eyes.

"M-Mom? Is that you?" asked Chie uncertainly. Her eyes were fixated to her mother's glowing red eyes. Yosuke was surprised by the sudden transformation as well.

"I will enter this chamber with you two in the capacity as a former heiress of Kushinada Clan..." said Yurie before her eyes reverted back into their hazel color. "The process of the ordeal needs me for its completion..."

"I see..." Yosuke mused. "Well, where's the chamber actually?"

"It's beneath our feet..." replied Gin casually. "Well, see you then..."

Suddenly, some kind of runic circlet appeared under their feet before they vanished, except Gin. The old man sighed before he spoke. "Well... it's probably a goodbye for you, Yurie... I guess..."

~darkness~

Chie opened her eyes to find herself inside a dark chamber. She was somehow terrified by the new environment before she heard a voice.

"Are you awake?" that's the voice of her mother, Yurie.

"Mom? Where are you, Mom?!" asked Chie nervously. Suddenly, the environment brightened up, helping the current heiress to see the surrounding.

"Welcome to the Chamber of the Elders, Chie..." said Yurie, standing on an altar. Her hands were holding a katana as her eyes were glowing."This is the place where our ancestors, the former heiresses were having their final rest..." she gestured to the statues, which were arranged along the walls of the chamber. "Their bones were preserved inside the statues. They were no longer alive, but their spirits are lingering around here, forming an exclusive institution which is known as 'The Elders'..." explained the former heiress.

Chie looked around, only to realize that Yosuke wasn't there.

"M-Mom, where's Yosuke?" asked Chie worriedly.

"About Hanamura-kun, you will eventually see you soon. For now, let's meet our ancestor..." said Yurie as she raised her hands before the eyes of every statue in the chamber glowed in majestic red glow. Her eyes were glowing as well.

"You have done quite well, Kushinada Yurie..."

Chie was surprised to hear that voice. Behind her mother was a woman, dressed in purple dress with similar floral pattern as hers and her mother, holding a nodachi in her hand. The woman possessed a same shade of brunette hair, same like Yurie and Chie. She smiled to Chie as she looked at her.

"My name is Princess Kushinada..." said the woman gently. "It's very nice to see you at last, Kushinada Chie..."

"Y-You're Princess Kushinada?" asked Chie, seemingly confused. Princess Kushinada nodded.

"Well then, shall we start the test for you, dear?" asked Princess Kushinada to Chie.

"W-Well, yeah!!" nodded Chie.

"I see..." Princess Kushinada smiled before a man materialized in front of her, much to Chie's surprised because the man was Yosuke. "This is your first test, my dear..."

Yosuke opened his eyes to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes, making Chie surprised yet again. Before Chie could say anything, Yosuke took out his daggers and dashed towards Chie. He attacked Chie with his daggers as the bemused Chie dodged them.

"Mom, what's this?!" asked Chie furiously as she ducked to dodged another slash from Yosuke.

"The Elders wanted to see whether your resolve is enough to snap him back to his sense, Chie..." explained Yurie. "For now, Hanamura-kun is hypnotized to attack you and it's your duty to bring him to his sense again..."

"T-That's..." Chie seemed hesitated. Suddenly, she felt a very hard kick on her stomach before she was sent behind. Her body slammed on the wall before she fell to the floor. She whimpered as she looked up, to see the one who had kicked her. Well, that's the hypnotized Yosuke of course.

"Yo-Yosuke..." she tried to pick herself, but much to her horror, Yosuke crouched, a stance that she could expect as the worst case scenario ever while facing him as an opponent. Yosuke's body was surrounded by blinding blue light before Susano-O of the Magician Arcana appeared above him. The Persona grabbed his massive shuriken and threw it towards Chie.

"Suzuka Gongen!!" shouted Chie as she summoned her Persona, Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana. The naginata-wielding Persona appeared in front of her summoner and used her glowing naginata to block the spinning shuriken. The sound of metals clashed to each other could be heard, which sounded very irritating because the sound resonated within the chamber. Before Chie could assume her fighting stance, Yosuke dashed towards her and released a punch.

Chie evaded the punch before she tried to get away from him. Then she shouted. "Yosuke!! Stop it right now!!" she tried to use her superiority as Kushinada's heiress to put Yosuke into submission, but to no avail as the brunette man turned towards her and threw a kunai. Chie dodged the attack but as she moved left, Yosuke appeared beside her and grabbed her head, slamming it to the wall nearby before throwing her away.

"Arghh!!" cried Chie as her body slammed on the wall. She slumped on the floor before she tried to pick herself. "M-Mom..." she looked at her mother, who was watching the battle, but the elderly Satonaka didn't respond to her as her glowing red eyes were looking at her.

Then, Chie heard a sound of clattering chains from Yosuke before she looked at the brunette man. Yosuke took out a long chain before he attached it to both of his daggers. After that, Yosuke looked at Chie before he attacked her, again.

"Yosuke!!" shouted Chie before she stood up and dashed towards the man head-on. Yosuke used the chain to hit the brunette woman, but she managed to dodge the attack by ducking before she stood in front of him.

"Sorry Yosuke, but this is for your own good..." uttered Chie before she released a kick towards Yosuke's 'delicate' part. Yosuke's eyes widened as he felt the usual pain that he usually received as a heavenly punishment by Chie before his red glowing eyes reverted back into its usual dull blown shade. Chie took the chance to hug the man before he fell to the floor.

"C-Chie?" that was Yosuke's first sentence after regaining his sense before he felt a familiar pain on his 'no-no' part. "Oww!! They're gonna crack again!!"

"Yosuke..." Chie looked at Yosuke with her teary eyes. "I-I thought you.... you gonna..." before she could finish her words, she buried her face on Yosuke's chest, crying silently. Yosuke was confused at first before he looked at Yurie who was smiling to him. After thinking for some while, he sighed before he stroked Chie's head.

"That's okay..." said Yosuke. "I'm here, and always be here for you..." he gently pushed Chie forward before he took some steps aback. He knelt to her as he spoke. "I will not do it again, hurting someone who is precious to me..." he lowered his gaze. "I, Hanamura Yosuke will gladly accept any form of punishment from you, Hime-sama."

Chie giggled as she dried her tears. "You've received one, silly..." she offered her hand to the man. "Then, I will command you to stand up, my knight..." she smiled sweetly. Yosuke sighed softly before he took Chie's hand and stood up.

"Thank you for calling me back, Chie..." thanked Yosuke.

"No sweat!!" said Chie.

Yurie clapped her hands before she spoke. "Congratulation, both of you. You have successfully completed the first test." Yurie congratulated both of them. Her eyes were no longer red as the figure of Princess Kushinada was still standing beside her. "Both of you have shown qualities of both heiress and knight. So, kudos for you two..."

"Mom..." Chie looked at her mother. "Why did you do this to me?" asked Chie. No matter how subtle the reason was, it still couldn't change the fact that Yurie's action had hurt her, physically and mentally. "You should give some good explanations about this, and say sorry to me!!"

"I wish I could..." said Yurie, sighing softly. "But, the time doesn't come yet, because the real test, the second and the final one will come..." said Yurie before her eyes changed their color back into glowing red. She put her hand on her katana's hilt and pulled it out, revealing such a glowing silvery blade. "The final test is... killing me..."

Both Yosuke and Chie were surprised. Princess Kushinada giggled before she turned into particles. Those particles then were absorbed into Yurie's body.

"B-But, why?" asked Chie, seemingly terrified by her mother's demand.

"In each awakening, a new heiress shall erase the existence of her predecessor. In your case, you should kill me..." explained Yurie swaying her katana around before she pointed it towards her daughter. "Remember, I am the former heiress of the clan. So, letting me to live would be a bad decision to be made because Serpent Tail and Orochi might be able to manipulate me because of my connection with the heiress and the Royal Blood..."

Chie's eyes widened in horror before she asked her mother. "S-So... are you saying that I should kill you?"

"That's the idea so far..." shrugged Yurie. "Well, in World War II, your grandmother, Kushinada Makie was the heiress at that time. Then, after my awakening 25 years ago, she asked me to go to this chamber and she put some tests that you've seen just now. She's already 60 at that time, but she still asked me to undergo the tests, until when she asked me to fight her, and kill her..."

"So... you're killing your mother, right?" asked Chie.

Yurie nodded. "I killed her with this sword, in this spot where we are standing just now..." she gestured to the floor where they were standing on. "This is the fate of the Kushinada's bloodline, being killed by their daughters after seeing the latest awakening..."

Then, she raised her katana, assuming a battle stance. "So, enough with small talking, let's end this. Both of you, attack me at once, now!! I won't go easy on you two!!"

Before Chie and Yosuke could do anything, Yurie vanished in front of their eyes. Then, Yosuke felt someone's presence behind them before he moved to Chie's back and parried an approaching blade. Yurie appeared behind Chie and seemed to intend a slash to her daughter, but Yosuke managed to block it before it could reach Chie.

"Oh, such a remarkable reflexes, Hanamura-kun..." praised Yurie before she spun her body. "But, that won't be enough to protect her..." she raised her katana attacked Yosuke. The brunette man couldn't attack her, so he just parried and blocked her attacks.

"You manage to withstand my attacks, but can you withstand this?" asked Yurie before she took some steps behind and muttered a word which surprised Yosuke and Chie.

"Persona..."

A Persona, Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana appeared above Yurie. Unlike Chie's Persona, Yurie's version of Suzuka Gongen appears in white color scheme instead of black and the naginata was blue instead of red. The white Suzuka Gongen looked at her summoner before she nodded in agreement. She raised her naginata and slashed towards Yosuke. The brunette man tried to block the attack with his dagger, but the light saber-like naginata easily cut through the dagger. The Persona managed to injure Yosuke's shoulder.

"Urgh!!" grunted Yosuke before he jumped behind, clutching his injured shoulder. "Dammit!!"

"Yosuke!!" Chie looked at Yosuke terrifiedly. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine..." said Yosuke reassuringly. Then, both of them looked at Yurie with the white Suzuka Gongen on top of her. The Persona spun her naginata around, leaving some kind of blue trails around her.

"Satonaka Chie, fulfill your destiny here..." Yurie pointed her katana towards Chie.

For Kushinadas, this is unavoidable...

~darkness~

After some moments of writer's block, I managed to complete this chapter. For your information, the Kushinadas are able to communicate with animals, and it is shown by Yuriko, Yukiko's mother because of her ancestry as Kushinada's bloodline. And for your information too, Yurie and Yuriko are cousins, making Chie and Yukiko cousins as well. Please expect something in the later chapter. Anyway, thanks for those who reviewed my story. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	53. Resolve

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 53: Resolve

Yosuke parried yet another slash from Yurie to protect Chie from being injured by her. Some minor injuries and gashes could be seen on his body and face since he preferred to not make any offensive stance. The brunette man himself couldn't believe that he was fighting Yurie, a woman who he knew as a gentle and loveable mother. This time, Yurie seemed to not show any hesitation and remorse by attacking both of them.

"Mom!!" shrieked Chie as she looked at her mother with her teary eyes. It was too much for her to handle.

"What's wrong, Chie? Are you afraid of killing me?" asked Yurie, taking some steps aback before she spun her katana around. "Hesitation would eventually claim your life in the battlefield, my dear..."

"N-No!! I won't kill you!!" shouted Chie. "It's just not right!!"

"Not right?" Yurie frowned as she tilted her head. "Like I've said to you before, this is your destiny and it is unavoidable!!" her red eyes fixated to Chie before a blue card appeared in front of her. She cut the card, summoning her white Suzuka Gongen. The Persona of the Chariot Arcana spun her blue light saber-like naginata before her summoner's shouted. "God's Hand!!"

The both ends of Suzuka's naginata were glowing before the white version of the female warrior intended a downward slash towards Chie. Some kind of golden ray could be seen flowing out from the shining blade, forming a gigantic golden fist. Chie tried to evade it, but it was too late as she tripped on her legs. Before the massive fist could hit her, Yosuke appeared in front of her, blocking the attack with his own body.

"Ngh!!" grunted Yosuke, trying to withstand the attack as the fist connected with his torso. His eyes widened as he heard cracking sound from his body and he presumed that the attack had broken a couple of his bones and ribs. As the fist faded away, he fell to his knees, putting his hand on his chest.

"Yosuke!!" cried Chie before she crouched. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine..." replied Yosuke. "Just having a couple of broken bones..."

"Quite remarkable, Hanamura-kun..." Yurie applauded for Yosuke's action to protect Chie from the seemingly fatal blow from her. "Using your own body to shield your master, what a noble act you have displayed just now..."

"M-Mom..." Chie looked at her mother. "Why?"

"Don't make me repeat it, young lady..." said Yurie to her daughter. "Kill or be killed, those are the only choices you can have here..." she pointed her katana to the young Satonaka. "Letting me live is a bad decision as your ancestors had met this kind of demise by the hands of their own daughters. If you're letting me alive, then..." she smirked diabolically. "...I have no choice other than killing you. If you're dead, then those from Serpent Tail won't have any reason to create havoc anymore..."

After saying those things, she dashed towards Chie to attack her. Chie couldn't do anything as Yosuke protected her from the slash. The brunette man grunted before he summoned Susano-O. The Persona grabbed his shuriken and threw it towards Yurie. The former heiress smiled before she summoned her white Suzuka Gongen. The masked Persona in white suit used her blue light saber-like naginata to block the upcoming spinning shuriken.

As the white Suzuka Gongen managed to block the attack, Yosuke dashed towards Yurie and kicked her. Yurie blocked the kick with her katana before she aimed the sharp blade of her katana to Yosuke and swung it upwards. The blade barely touched Yosuke's chest, leaving a long gash on it. He grunted as he took some steps aback and he touched the wound on his chest.

"Yosuke!!" cried Chie.

"Get back, Chie!!" shouted Yosuke.

"B-But... you're hurt!! And... you'll hurt her too!!" Chie cried out loud. She couldn't afford to face the test anymore. Killing someone who is precious to her was too much for her to handle. "I-I... I don't want to do this!!" she looked at her mother. "Mom!! Please stop it!!"

"Chie..." Yurie's eyes reverted back to normal. "I know this is hard for you, but you're our only hope. Kill me, or prepared to be killed!! Please do it, or suffer a deadly consequence!!" her eyes became red again.

Yosuke glanced to his master for a while before he looked back to Yurie. "Chie... she's saying that she'll kill you if you can't kill her. I know this is hard, but please give me a command..."

"Yosuke..." Chie looked at the brunette man. "I-I don't want to do this..."

"Then, suffer a terrible consequence!!" Yurie dashed towards them with her katana in her hand. Yurie swung the sword downwards, aiming it to Chie. Yosuke stood in front of Chie and blocked the attack with his daggers. Suddenly, in a blink of eye, Yurie vanished from their sight before reappeared behind Chie.

"Take this!!" yelled Yurie, stabbing Chie's shoulder.

"Aah!!" cried Chie painfully. Yosuke realized that his master was injured before he turned behind and went towards Yurie. He grabbed the woman's wrist, pushing it forward along with the blade out of Chie's shoulder. He managed to make Yurie pulled her sword out of the wound before he turned back to Chie and grabbed her body to pull her away from Yurie.

"Chie, are you alright?!" asked Yosuke, examining Chie's injured shoulder. Chie seemed to be in shock.

"See? That's the result of your hesitation..." said Yurie. "After this, please don't expect the same like this one..." she prepared herself to execute another attack.

Tears came out of Chie's eyes as her body trembled. She couldn't believe that her mother, someone she loved very much, had injured her. Yosuke grunted before he put his hand on Chie's wound, healing it with Dia.

"Yurie-san..." said Yosuke. "Is this what you truly want?" the brunette man asked the katana-wielding woman.

Yurie seemed to be thinking for a while before she shook her head sadly. "I wish I couldn't let it ends like this, but... it is a fate for the chosen one of the Kushinadas to face this terrifying way of death..." she smiled sadly. "This is a never-ending cycle of defeat and resurrection of Orochi, birth and awakening of the heiress, same like the cycle of life and death. The reason for such of this test is to assure that someone like Chie could put an end to this never-ending cycle..."

"Even... even by killing someone precious to you?" asked Yosuke.

"Indeed..." Yurie nodded. "To end the cycle of war, this is the only way..."

"Another question, Yurie-san. When you're killing your mother, Makie..." she glanced to a statue nearby, Yurie's predecessor. "...do you feel remorse, or at least, guilty?"

Yurie lowered her gaze before she answered it. "No, I killed her without regret, without remorse..." she showed the katana to Yosuke. "I killed her with this sword, impaling through her chest, and she died smiling..."

"Smiling?" Yosuke frowned.

"I know this might be selfish for me, but at least I can meet my ancestors with such kind of demise..." Yurie closed her eyes. "I would be rather delighted to have my life ended by the hands of my own daughter, or at least you..."

"Yurie-san..."

"Hmm... enough with small talking, let's return for our business..." Yurie prepared herself to attack. As she raised her katana to her head level, the blade glowed, releasing some kind of blue light before she muttered. "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!!"

Yosuke's eyes widened as he heard the words muttered by Yurie. The woman swung her katana downwards, releasing some kind of plasma-like blue projectiles towards Yosuke. Realizing the projectiles' nature, Yosuke evaded the projectiles instead of blocking it. The projectiles hit the wall behind him.

"Nice move, Hanamura-kun..." Yurie commented for Yosuke's action. "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi will destroy everything in its path, so blocking it would be a bad idea..."

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi? Isn't that Naoto's technique?" Yosuke asked the woman.

"That's my specialty as the previous owner of Yasakani-no-Magatama..." Yurie spoke. "With the artifact, I can use the power of the Sun deity, Amaterasu, and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is just a part of it. Sadly, the power is limited because Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi I have is just an exact copy of the real artifact..." she lowered her katana. "So, let just say that my power of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is weaker than Shirogane-kun's..."

"Is that so?" Yosuke's eyes focused to Yurie. "In that case, I won't hold myself then..." he assumed his battle stance before he glanced to Chie behind him. "Chie, don't worry. Please let me do this job..."

Yurie chuckled before she prepared herself as well. "Fufufufufu... you're such a charming young man, Hanamura Yosuke. There's no doubt that you're a worthy knight of my daughter, as well as a worthy opponent for me..." her red eyes glowed again. "Please don't drop dead so early, Hanamura-kun..." she spoke to the young brunette man with a smile.

"I won't!!" declared Yosuke. "Susano-O!!" he crushed an appearing blue card, summoning the manifestation of his other self, Susano-O of the Magician Arcana to cast a massive wind attack towards Yurie. Chie who was standing behind Yosuke covered her face with her arms to protect her face from being injured by debris that were blown by the rampaging wind.

Yurie closed her eyes before she swung her katana downwards to break an appearing blue card, summoning her Persona, Suzuka Gongen. "Agneyastra!!" The white Suzuka raised her blue naginata, summoning a horde of blazing meteors from above. As the wind and fiery meteors collided to each other, a violent explosion occurred.

~darkness~

Minato was watching his apprentice, Naoto who was practicing herself to use her Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in effective way. After executing such attack which then managed to cleave a poor training dummy, Naoto panted, seemingly exhausted.

"You look pretty tired, Naoto-kun..." Minato commented Naoto's condition. "Well, that's all for today, I guess..."

"I-I... I still can do it..." said Naoto between her breaths.

"Like I've said before, resting is also a part of training, Naoto-kun. Having yourself in a good condition will ensure you to have a better performance in either training or real action..." said Minato. "Well, please have a good rest..." he went out from the training room, leaving Naoto alone.

As the navy-haired man walked along the corridor, suddenly he felt a sudden pain on his chest, something that he hadn't felt for sometimes ago, might probably because he had preoccupied himself to train Naoto. His eyes widened before he put his hand on his chest, clutching it. He panted heavily, trying to gasp for air for his precious lungs. Then, he could feel a familiar taste on his taste buds, the taste of blood on his tongue. Before he could maintain himself, his vision darkened, not before coughing out blood. He fell to the floor limply.

_N-Naoto..._

Before his consciousness faded away, he heard the sound of footsteps which was familiar to him.

"Minato-san!!"

By hearing the voice, suddenly tears came out from Minato's eyes. In an instant, he could hear a piece of music, the one his mother created when she was alive. The soothing piece of music, the one he considered as an instrumental version of lullaby, pierced through his eardrums, sending him into a world of oblivion. The music washed his fear away from his heart.

But, the moment of serenity came to its end as he felt a poke on his hand, bringing him back to his sense. Slowly, Minato opened his bluish-gray eyes and saw Naoto, sitting beside him with such a worried expression on her face. She smiled as he seemed to regain consciousness.

"Thank goodness you're awake, Minato-san..." said Naoto with a smile.

Minato found out that he was lying on a bed. He tried to pick himself, but he felt a sudden numbness on his body before he put himself again on the bed.

"You're fainted, Minato-san..." said Naoto. "And your mouth's bloody too. You're unconscious for almost three hours..." explained the navy-haired detective. "Anyway, would you give me an explanation for that?" she stood up.

"Explanation?" Minato frowned.

"Don't play dumb, Minato-san..." Naoto's eyes were fixated to Minato's. "I know something is not right about you, and you hide it from any of us. Blood came out from your mouth, and I concluded that you seemed to have some kind of sickness..."

Minato sighed before he spoke. "Yes, I'm dying because of a certain sickness, Naoto-kun. I assume that you know about my death, right?"

Naoto nodded. Minato's death after sealing Nyx was mentioned during their ice-breaking session.

"As I returned to this world, Ryoji created a replacement body for me, with his blood as the main ingredient. As a result, I gained a body with extraordinary power and strength, but the side effect for having such body is something that you've seen just now..." explained Minato. "Ryoji's blood in my body is not an ordinary blood, it is Shadow's blood. The presence of his blood within my body will cause my unavoidable death..."

"Minato-san..." Naoto looked at Minato, seemingly concerned.

"That's why..." Minato smiled. "I wish I can give all my knowledge to my apprentice; you..." he pointed his finger to Naoto. "I want you to be my living legacy, sharing my dream to see a better world..."

"Me? Your living legacy?" Naoto pointed her finger to herself. Minat nodded and smiled to her.

"Yes, because you have the same eyes like me..." said Minato. Naoto seemed to be mildly surprised. He looked at Minato's bluish-eyes and they looked very same like hers. She never thought to realize such thing.

"Minato-san, what's your dream then?" asked Naoto.

"My dream?" Minato tilted his head. "Well, I do say that I want to see a better world, a world without suffering and hardship. A world without conflict that is suitable for people I cherish..." he smiled sadly. "A world where Akihiko-senpai won't face any loss again, a world where Mitsuru-senpai will be able to have a happy life..." he lifted his face. "Ken-kun too... there's no need for him to lift the burden of his hatred, and for Junpei and his wife, Chidori as well, so they can have a happy life as a family..."

"You truly care about them, right?" Naoto asked the older bluenette.

"More than they could imagine, Naoto-kun..." replied Minato. "A world where Fuuka will see the smiles from her patients, a world for Koromaru to live a life as a carefree and happy old dog..." Minato's voice sounded a little melancholic. "And for Yukari and Aigis too... both of them are important to me, very important to me..." he looked on his palm. "I wish I could create such world with this hand, but..." he clenched his fist. "...I can do nothing..."

"Minato-san..."

"And... if I could, I want to live in that peaceful world as well, with my little sister..." he looked at Naoto gently. Both Minato's sentence and gaze surprised the young detective.

"Y-You have a sister?" asked Naoto.

"Yes I have..." nodded Minato. "I always look over her, protecting her from afar... but I afraid that I won't be accepted by her since she never knows me after the accident..." this time, Minato said about his little sister to Naoto, who didn't know about her connection with him. "I afraid to be rejected by her after betraying her trust..."

"Trust?" Naoto frowned.

"Before I go to Tatsumi Port Island, I promised to her that I would teach her how to play violin, but due to some complicated circumstances, I couldn't make it, betraying her trust in the process..." explained Minato. "I afraid she would reject me..."

After talking about that, Minato stood up.

"Minato-san, you should have a good rest!!" reminded Naoto.

"That's okay..." Minato shook his head. "I guess I have to visit the cemetery to visit your parents..." he smiled before he went out from the room, leaving Naoto alone.

As Minato walked out from the room, suddenly a flash of old memories entered Naoto's mind. The vision was blurry and unfocused, but she could see a young navy-haired boy, hugging a navy-haired little girl gently. The little girl laughed happily and Naoto knew that the girl was her, when she was little. The boy released his hug before he picked a white baroque violin.

_I promise I will teach you how to play, Naoto-chan..._

The young Naoto jumped happily.

_Yay!! I love you, Big Bro Minato!!_

Naoto's eyes widened before the vision shattered. She panted heavily as she fell on her knees. Tears gathered on her eyes as she clutched her head with her hands.

"No way..." the blue-haired detective muttered.

A blue butterfly perched on the nearby table.

"Minato-san... is my brother?"

The butterfly flew away, leaving the confused Naoto alone.

_The Wheel of Fortune has been turned, and there's no turning back for you, Shirogane Naoto..._

~darkness~

Yosuke and Yurie were having an intense duel in the Chamber of Elders as Chie became a cornered spectator of the duel. Both of them exchanged both slashes and parries with their respective weapons, daggers and katana. After interlocking each other's weapon, both of them leaped backwards before preparing themselves to summon their Personas, Susano-O and Suzuka Gongen respectively.

"Brave Blade!!"

"God's Hand!!"

Susano-O of the Magician Arcana grabbed his massive shuriken as Suzuka of the Chariot Arcana raised her naginata upwards. Susano-O threw the silvery shuriken towards Suzuka and the woman warrior clad in tight white leather suit swung her naginata downwards, creating some kind of golden aura which took form into a massive golden fist which flew towards the approaching shuriken.

Boom!!

An explosion occurred as both projectiles collided. The massive shuriken rebounded back to Susano-O as the massive golden fist dissipated. Then, Yosuke dashed towards Yurie, aiming to disable her by stabbing any of her limbs. But Yurie managed to block his attack from connecting to the targets. Exchanges of slashes and parries occurred again. Chie was watching the intense duel with horror.

Tang!!

Both of the combatants locked their weapons to each other. Sensing that the situation became more dangerous, Chie shouted.

"That's enough!! Please stop the fight!!" shouted Chie tearfully. "I don't want any of you to get hurt!!"

"Chie..." Yosuke turned his attention to Chie, without realizing that Yurie pulled her katana from Yosuke's lock, aiming to stab the brunette man's belly. Before Yosuke could realize it, it's already that late.

"I'm sorry, Hanamura-kun..." said Yurie apologetically before she pushed her katana forward, stabbing Yosuke's stomach. The end of her katana's blade could be seen at Yosuke's back. Yosuke's eyes widened in shock as the metallic weapon stabbed his belly.

"W-What?!" that's the only word he could utter before Yurie pulled the sword out, letting the man fell limply to the floor. Chie could only watch in horror as a puddle of blood formed under Yosuke's limp body.

"That's the outcome of your hesitation, Chie..." said Yurie, focusing her crimson eyes towards her daughter.

"N-No way!!" Chie cried. "Yosuke!!"

Suddenly, Chie's hazel eyes turned crimson before she fixated her eyes towards her mother. With such speed, Chie dashed towards Yurie and stood in front of her before kicking her stomach, sending her behind.

"Ergh!!" Yurie grunted as her back touched the wall.

"How dare you kill him?!" yelled Chie with such anguished cry before she dashed forward again, grabbing Yurie's head, slamming it to the wall before throwing her away. While Yurie was still in midair, Chie prepared herself to summon her Persona, Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana.

"Suzuka Gongen!!"

The female warrior clad in tight black suit, armed with a light saber-like red naginata, appeared above Chie before the Persona dashed towards Yurie. With such strength, Suzuka Gongen pressed the woman to the floor with her naginata, creating a crater on the wooden floor. Before the debris settled, Suzuka raised her hand and punched the woman's stomach, creating another crater on the floor.

Chie panted heavily as Suzuka Gongen dissipated. The debris settled, and Yurie tried to stand up. She was badly injured by the attacks with some parts of her black kimono were torn apart, specifically the part of her stomach. She walked towards Chie weakly. She occasionally coughed out blood before she fell to the floor.

"You have defeated me, Chie..." said Yurie, smiling despite her injuries. "You have shown the quality as a worthy heiress of Kushinada Clan..." she slowly sat up before she offered her katana to her daughter. "Now, fulfill your destiny, my dear..."

Chie's crimson eyes reverted back to normal as she took the katana from Yurie's hand. She glanced to Yosuke's motionless body before she looked back to her mother.

"Do it..." Yurie encouraged her daughter to kill her. "My task has been completed..."

Chie lowered her gaze before she threw the katana aside, much to Yurie's surprise. Then, she crouched and hugged her mother.

"Mom, I won't kill you..." said Chie tearfully. "I won't kill a person who I wish to protect..." then, she cried and sobbed. She put her face on Yurie's shoulder.

"Chie?" Yurie put her hand on the back of Chie's head.

"I don't want to kill you, even if I'm destined to do it..." said Chie chokingly. "I don't want to kill you, I love you!!"

Yurie smiled before she hugged her daughter as well. "There, there... don't cry, my dear..." she wiped Chie's tears with her finger. "You've passed the test very well, Chie. Congratulation..."

"Eh?" Chie gave her mother her stupefied expression. "What do you mean?"

Yurie stood up before her kimono turned back into her usual attire. The injuries she obtained from Chie's attacks vanished as well. "This test is done to test the heiress' resolve..." she helped her daughter to stand up and dusted her clothes. "It is not to make you to kill me by following the so-called destiny, but to make you make your own resolve and opposing my demand..."

"S-So, how about you killing grandmother?" asked Chie.

"That's a lie actually..." Yurie shrugged. "Your grandmother died because of the illness shortly after we managed to defeat Orochi. We just used that thing to test the heiress' resolve..."

"We?" Chie frowned.

"Yes..." nodded Yurie before some women appeared behind her and one of them was Princess Kushinada. "We... the members of the Elders, have approved you as one of us... you are our hope for this time..."

A woman who seemed to resemble Chie and Yurie stepped forward and looked at Chie. Then, some kind of warm glow radiated from her hand, healing the wounds and gashes on Chie's body.

"You..." Chie looked at the woman.

"Yes, I am your grandmother..." said the woman with a smile. "I am Kushinada Makie, nice to meet you..."

Chie glanced to the other women. All of them shared the same hair color, brown or brunette. She assumed them as the former heiresses before her.

"Sorry to interrupt, but someone has a bloody belly here..." then, a man's voice could be heard and it came from the lying Yosuke. Chie went towards the man and crouched.

"Yosuke, are you alright?" asked Chie.

"Alright my ass!! It hurts like hell!!" bellowed Yosuke before he felt that some more of his blood went out. "Oww!!"

"Oh, you're awake..." Yurie realized that Yosuke was alright after all. "Sorry for that bad treatment, Hanamura-kun..." she went towards Yosuke and crouched. Then, some kind of soothing ray of warm glow came out from her palms, healing Yosuke's wounds, especially the one on his belly.

"Ergh..." Yosuke tried to sit up. "It hurts..."

Yurie smiled before she pat Yosuke's head before she kissed his forehead, much to Yosuke's surprise and embarrassment. The women behind seemed to be chuckling as they witnessed the event.

"You've helped us quite well, Hanamura-kun, let's get back..."

~darkness~

Souji was sitting alone on his couch in his room. He tried to resist the temptation from the whispery voice he heard within his head.

_Embrace your own desire, Souji..._

"No!!" Souji tried to suppress the temptation by clutching his head. He opened his eyes to reveal a pair of golden eyes.

It's only a matter of time before his heart is completely covered by darkness...

~darkness~

Chapter 53 is completed. Due to some reasons, I don't want to say much in this note. So, as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	54. Kokoro

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 54: Kokoro

"Geez, Chie..." Yosuke sighed. "Would you stop crying at least for a minute?" Yosuke spoke to the crying brunette woman. Chie's mother, Yurie was standing beside the crying Chie, comforting her. Gin just watched the interaction between mother and daughter with an amused look. All of them were currently outside the shrine.

"I-I... *sob* I try... b-but..." Chie said chokingly before she looked at her mother who was smiling gently at her. "I-I... waaah!!" she cried again.

"Don't worry, sweetie..." Yurie said reassuringly as she patted the young woman's head. "There's nothing happen on me..."

"B-But..." Chie looked at her mother with her teary eyes. "I-I hurt you!! I'm sorry, Mom!!" she cried again, hugging her mother. Yurie sighed sagely before she put her hand on Chie's face.

"No, I'm alright..." Yurie said gently to Chie. "I'm the one who should say 'sorry' for you two for hurting both of you..." she put her hand on Chie's shoulder, a part where she had injured earlier with her katana. "Did it hurt when I stabbed you here?" asked Yurie, seemingly concerned.

Chie shook her head. "No... Yosuke healed it for me..."

"Ah..." Yurie looked the mentioned brunette man. "And for you too. I'm sorry for stabbing your stomach back then. Did it hurt you?" asked Yurie.

Yosuke grunted as he put his hand on his stomach. "It hurts like hell..."

"Well, I'm sure you youngsters are terribly tired right now..." said Gin. "Go home and have a good rest..." the red-eyed old man looked at Yurie. "Yurie, would you mind to talk to me for a bit?"

"I don't mind..." said Yurie. "Okay, see you later..." she bid her farewell to her daughter and Yosuke. Both brunette headed man and woman walked to the direction of Satonaka's Residence.

"So, I want to ask something..." Gin looked at Yurie. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Oji-san..." Yurie nodded as she smiled, before she felt something unplesant on her stomach. She instinctively pressed her hand on her stomach. "I guess that's the last time I could use that power..."

"Well, don't overexert yourself, Yurie..." reminded Gin. "The stake is high, which it may claim your very own life. Thank goodness that Chie also has the same heart as her predecessors, same like Princess Kushinada..." the red-eyed man closed his eyes before he put on his round black glasses.

"That's my daughter, mind you..." said Yurie. "Well, see you around then, bye..." she walked away, leaving Gin alone in the shrine's ground.

"Hmm... it's good to hear that Chie is kind-hearted, just like the other Kushinadas..." Gin muttered. "But, would it be enough to end this never-ending cycle of war?" in a blink of the eye, the old man vanished.

~darkness~

Yosuke was having a good bath in the bathroom. He washed the stains of blood on his body with the running water. He let out a heavy sigh as he looked on his stomach, only to see a little scar, the one he obtained after fighting Yurie.

He never thought that Yurie was that strong, enough to fight both of them single-handedly. When he looked at Yurie's movement, it's the same like Daidara's and Souji's, woth the exception of having such a delicate reflex compared to the mentioned two. Daidara's swording technique is rather plain, yet it's very efficient as Souji's technique is very complex, with the excessive usage of swordplay, but Yosuke didn't bother to think about it too much since he's comfortable for using the short-ranged yet light and precise daggers or kunais rather than using the medium-ranged yet overweighted katana.

He looked at his palm before he clenched it. He knew that he had more to learn to strengthen himself, but deep inside, something was rather wrong, but he couldn't learn what was it.

Creaakk!!

Yosuke's turned his head as he heard the sound of the door being opened and both his eyes widened in shock as he saw Yurie, only having her towel wrapping her body, entering the bathroom. Yurie closed the door and locked it.

"Y-Yurie-san?!" Yosuke couldn't believe that Yurie had entered the bathroom when he was bathing. The halfly-naked woman chuckled as she looked at Yosuke's naked body.

"My, my... you're rather cute while embarrassed..." commented Yurie as she took her towel off, revealing her well-developed parts of body, making Yosuke's face reddened even further.

"W-What're you doing here?!" asked Yosuke nervously. "Your husband might gonna kill me if he finds out about this!!"

Yurie chuckled before she walked towards Yosuke, touching Yosuke's exposed chest seductively. She let the pouring water touched her skin while smiling at the cornered man mischievously. "Don't worry, he won't know about this..." after that, she leaned in and whispered to Yosuke's ear with such seductive manner. "Moreover, he probably don't really mind about this matter as well..."

"T-That's..." Yosuke was confused by that while cursing himself for getting into many troubles.

"Haha, that's okay..." Yurie chuckled. "Don't get it wrong. I just want to have a good talk with you since you are my future son-in-law, right? I just want to make sure that my future son-in-law may have some kind of affection towards his soon mother-in-law, teehee..."

"I'm not!!" Yosuke hastily denied it, making Yurie giggled. Then, she pushed the brunette man forward, making his back touched the wall.

"Answer me, Hanamura-kun..." Yurie looked straight at Yosuke's hazel eyes. "Do you love my daughter, Satonaka Chie?"

"T-That's..." Yosuke gulped. He could feel that Yurie's chest had touched his. "What're you talking about, Yurie-san?!"

"Well..." Yurie tilted her head. "I mean what I mean, Hanamura-kun..." she smiled naughtily. "From day to day, I could feel your affection towards my precious daughter. Would you mind to explain such matter?"

"I..." Yosuke looked at another direction. "Do I even have to say this?"

"Huh?" Yurie frowned as her smile died. "What's wrong, Hanamura-kun?"

"You keep saying this and that without thinking about my feeling, dammit!!" exclaimed Yosuke. "I wish I could do it, but..." he lowered his gaze. "...I can't..."

Yurie hummed before she unexpectedly hugged the man, much to Yosuke surprise.

"I can sense it..." said Yurie. "I can sense the guilt within you..." she released the hug. "Due to some complicated situation, you refuse to love anyone, trying to distance yourself from the feeling and referring the action you've made as a way for you to atone your sins, am I correct?"

"W-What?" Yosuke couldn't believe that Yurie had just read his mind.

"You still can't forget her, right?" asked Yurie, looking at Yosuke's eyes. "Konishi Saki, I mean..."

"T-That's..." Yosuke closed his eyes. "You're right, Yurie-san..." he smiled sadly. "I still can't let the past go. I tried to attach my feeling to someone else, but..." he reopened his eyes. "...I failed. My dreams... no, nightmares... they keep haunting me to no end..."

"Hanamura-kun..." Yurie looked at Yosuke with such concerned look.

"I wish I could have something to be cherished, to be loved..." he looked at his palms. "Not by my memories, but physically too..." he clenched his fists. "I just want at least forgiveness from Saki-senpai, for being such a pain in the ass and others... or at least that I could say that I love her to her..."

"Hanamura-kun..." Yurie smiled before she distanced herself from the man. "You're truly a good man..."

"Huh?" Yosuke was confused.

"Remember, no matter how hard you pursue for that forgiveness from her, it is very close to you..." he placed her hand on Yosuke's chest. "It is very close to you, yet it is very far from your reach..."

"Close? Far?" Yosuke frowned. 'What does that mean?"

"The answer you've been seeking for so long is very near to you, yet it's very far for you to realize it..." Yurie smiled gently. In a flash, Yosuke could see Chie within Yurie, smiling at him. "The forgiveness you wish to have, is here... in your heart. Try to forgive yourself..."

"Try to forgive myself?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, try to forgive yourself..." Yurie nodded. "Because the guilt that has burdened you around this time is caused by your hesitation, your lack of confidence to face the reality. Forgiving yourself is a good start for you to obtain forgiveness..." explained the woman helpfully.

"Forgiving myself?" Yosuke put his hand on Yurie's hand, which was touching his chest. "What will happen if I forgive myself? Would it be enough for me? Doesn't that mean... I have to forget Saki-senpai?"

Yurie chuckled before she lifted her hand from Yosuke's chest. "It depends on how your heart works..." she sighed before she reached for her towel and wiped her body before she wrapped it around her body. "It depends on you, whether you can obtain such forgiveness or not..."

"It..." Yosuke looked on his palm. "It depends on me to obtain such forgiveness..."

Yurie opened the door before she stepped out from the bathroom. "Okay, I'm glad to have a good talk with you, Hanamura-kun..." she flashed the man a smile before she closed the door, leaving Yosuke alone in the bathroom. Yosuke sighed before he turned off the water.

"Saki-senpai..." he looked at the ceiling. "Am I such a pain in the ass for obtaining a mere forgiveness?"

~darkness~

Chie was sitting on her bed in her room. She decided to have some time alone. Then, she looked at the opened window before she saw a little canary entered her room. Chie chuckled before she stood up. The little canary realized Chie's presence and it looked at the woman warily.

"Don't afraid..." Chie said reassuringly. "I won't hurt you..." she spoke to the bird soothingly and gently. The little canary tilted its head before it flew from the floor onto Chie's head.

"Haha, you're still young and clingy, right?" asked Chie as she giggled. The little canary chirped happily before it jumped to Chie's shoulder. Chie touched the lower part of the bird's beak with her finger. "Oh, it is your first time to leave your nest, right?" she asked the bird. The little bird nodded.

"Haha..." she laughed happily before she went towards the window, looking at the sky.

"Do you afraid of the sky?" asked Chie. The little canary answered it with a soft chirp.

"Oh..." Chie tilted her head. "Sky is... unpredictable. It looks very fair, and sometimes, it's windy..." she looked at a group of clouds. "I know that feeling, really..." she outstretched her hand, pointing at the flock of clouds. "When we're on our feet, we admire the beauty of the sky and fear it as well..." she looked at the little canary and smiled.

"It needs courage to fly, right?" asked Chie. The bird tilted its head before it nodded in agreement. Chie sighed. "You're brave enough to face the unpredictable..."

"It needs a brave heart, Chie..."

Chie's eyes widened as she heard the voice. "A-Are you talking in human's language?" she asked the bird. The little canary was startled by the change of Chie's mood, making it flew away.

"W-Who's there?" asked Chie.

"Yo..." a raven-haired man with yellow scarf was hanging upside-down near the window, much to Chie's surprise. The man, the infamous Herald of Nyx, Mochizuki Ryoji leaped into the room. "It's good to see you here..."

"What are you doing here?" Chie asked the newcomer.

"Well... I'm just paying a good visit to my pupil, that's all..." explained Ryoji casually before he looked around. "Wow... this room is quite... manly. I never thought I could see something like this in a girl's room..." commented the black-haired man as he observed the room. He looked at the large Bruce Lee's poster.

"..." Chie looked at the man with yellow scarf warily. She knew this guy, someone who is considered as the most dangerous among them. "What's your intention, Ryoji-kun?" asked Chie.

"You're quite sharp, aren't you?" Ryoji grinned. "Okay, let's get into business, shall we?" he sat on a chair near the table. "I come here by Shirogane's request. He wants me to inform you about the seal that had been used against the Serpent Tail. I can feel that they will eventually get out from the seal soon, so I come here to warn you about this matter..." explained Ryoji.

"Oh..." Chie nodded. "I'll remember that..."

"And one more thing..." Ryoji smirked. "It seems that all of our aces have their problem..."

"Aces?" Chie frowned.

"Well... Souji has some kind of difficulty with his power, Minato is trying hard to make sure that he can live longer than expected, and Yosuke..." his cyan eyes were focused to Chie. "That guy has some trouble with his heart..."

"Heart? What do you mean?" asked Chie.

"Yosuke isn't in a great shape to make his best performance..." Ryoji said to Chie. "His heart is obscured with remorse and hesitation, and it is a common sense that hesitation would eventually bring his ultimate death in battlefield..." explained the black-haired man.

"Hesitation? What's wrong with him?" asked Chie.

"I'm sure that you know about this matter as well..." Ryoji shrugged. "Furthermore, you're the only one who can help him out..." then, he turned to the window. "I guess that's all, farewell..."

Chie lowered her gaze before she lifted it, only to see that Ryoji had vanished. She sighed before she went towards her bed, slumping herself on it.

"I'm the only one who can help him out?" she muttered. Then, she closed her eyes.

_You're his salvation..._

Chie remembered Yukiko's words about her being the only one who can bring him out from the darkness. And yet, the darkness, same like the sky...

It's unpredictable...

~darkness~

Naoto couldn't find Minato anywhere in her house. It's been a day after her last training with him, and she didn't find Minato after that. She walked around her large house, only to find emptiness. She sighed heavily before she went to the living room downstairs.

"Ah, good evening, Naoto..."

Naoto was surprised to hear the voice. She looked at the couch, only to see her own grandfather, Shirogane Misanori. The middle-aged man with pale blue hair smiled serenely to his granddaughter. His assistant, Yakushiji was standing beside him.

"Grandpa?" Naoto frowned. "Since when you're here?"

"We entered this house a moment ago. Since we didn't see you anywhere downstairs, we decided to wait you..." Misanori explained helpfully.

"I see..." Naoto mused. Then, she looked around before she asked her grandfather. "Grandpa, do you see Minato-san?"

"Huh? He's..." Misanori was thinking for a moment before he continued. "...going out for a bit. Don't worry about him too much..."

"Oh..." Naoto nodded. Then, she asked her grandfather again. "Grandpa, what's your intention?"

"Intention?" Misanori frowned.

"Yes..." she nodded before she sat on a chair opposite the couch where Misanori was sitting on. "I want you to explain about something, something that you've kept hidden for so long..."

"What do you mean?" Misanori asked, playing dumb.

"About my brother..." Naoto said. "He's still alive, am I wrong?"

"I've told you so many times, he's dead already..." Misanori lowered his gaze, trying to avoid his precious granddaughter's eyes. "There's no point to say about such thing, right?"

"Please don't lie to me anymore, Grandpa..." Naoto said sternly. "I know you're hiding something from me, something that is very important..."

"Are you sure?" this time, it's Misanori's turn to ask Naoto. "How do you know? Are your following your intuition?"

"I..." Naoto seemed to be hesitated. "I don't..." she shook her head. "But, I can see it clearly from your action to destroy anything that is related to the incident..."

"Is that so?" the middle-aged man mused before he stood up. "I see what you mean, but..." he glanced at the window before he sighed heavily. "...the time for you to know the truth will eventually come, please prepare for the worst..."

Before Naoto could reply, Misanori and Yakushiji walked upstairs, leaving her alone in the living room.

"Truth?" Naoto muttered. She lowered her head, sighing heavily. "Is that vision even true?"

Just like the last time, a blue butterfly flew into the house through the window. The small insect perched on the table in front of Naoto.

"Is Minato-san... my brother?"

Meanwhile, while Misanori and Yakushiji were upstairs...

"It's getting even worst, isn't it?"

A navy-haired man came out from a room and he looked at both detective and assistant.

"It seems that Naoto already knows about the matter..." Misanori said. "Thanks for Shirogane's bloodline that enable its members to have capability to see the unseen..." he continued. "But, she's still confused about the matter as well, so we don't have to worry about it..."

"I hope that you can keep your words, Grandfather..." said the navy-haired man, Minato. "At least she shouldn't know about me being her brother until my ultimate demise..."

"I will try, Minato... I will..." Misanori nodded.

"That's good..." Minato smiled. "Then, I still can protect her from afar. I will do anything in order to protect her..." he looked at his palm before he clenched his fist.

"Even with the cost of my transient life..."

~darkness~

Souji grunted. He hid himself in an alley at the Shopping District. Earlier, he decided to have a walk to calm himself from the disturbing thoughts. But, as he walked along the street, he could feel that he heard those whispery voices, again. It bothered him to no end and he decided to hide himself in an alley.

"Dammit!!" Souji cursed. His right eye changed its color from silver to yellow, before reverted back to silver. It seemed that his Shadow side was slowly overwhelming him.

"Well, well, well..." suddenly, Souji heard a familiar voice. "What a surprise it seems..."

Souji looked around and took some steps aback as he saw someone who he knew very well. A man came out from the shade, and the man is known as one of those from Serpent Tail. He is the adjutant of Wrath, Charles.

"Charles..." Souji growled. "What're you doing here? Aren't you trapped inside Ryoji's seal?"

"Well, I have no intention to put any harm on you, Seta Souji..." Charles spoke calmly to Souji. "Remember, I am the adjutant of Wrath of Yamata-no-Orochi, and Wrath is one of the most dangerous sins among seven of them..." he smirked. "So, please expect me that I can get myself out of the seal easier than the others..."

"You..." Tamayorihime materialized in Souji's hand. "If you dare to harm the people outside, I'll kill you!!" he hissed vehemently.

"Please calm down, Seta Souji..." Charles said. "Even though I managed to get myself out from the seal, my current state is weaker than usual, as a result from excess usage of my power to get myself out. So, I don't ever feel to have a fight with you..." then, he lowered his gaze. "I just want to have a talk with you..."

"Talk?" Souji frowned.

"Indeed..." Charles nodded. "I sense that your power is slowly regaining superiority within yourself it seems..." he smirked evilly. "My purpose here is to offer you an invitation to join us, the Serpent Tail..."

"In your dream." Souji declared.

"Remember, your power is a manifestation of your suppressed self instead of a Persona. So, you may cause quite a ruckus outside..." Charles walked towards Souji. "If you join us, you may be able to learn the way to control the power, as well as your true desire..." he stood in front of Souji. "Don't waste your talent, Seta Souji. We, the Serpent Tail will be grateful to have your as our eighth member..."

"Sheesh..." Souji looked at other direction before he turned behind. "I'm not interested, Charles..." he said dryly.

"Then, you're being hypocrite again, Seta Souji..." Charles commented. "Remember, you should follow what your heart yearns to have, it's the nature of human being..."

"..." Souji didn't say anything.

"Well, please have enough time to think about this matter..." Charles said. "I will be waiting for you..." then, he vanished, leaving Souji alone in the alley.

"What my heart yearns to have?" Souji muttered.

The meeting was a prelude for a twisted truth, and soon, the darkness will be on top of the throne.

~darkness~

Yeah!! Chapter 54 is completed. Thanks for those who read this fanfic. I am rather delighted to accept reviews from you all. For this chapter, Yurie appears to be a little, well... I guess it's not impossible for having such kind of mother. Remember, they do nothing, just having a good talk in such weird condition. For those who don't know what Kokoro actually means, it is a Japanese word for 'Heart'. It is suitable for this chapter because most of them (if not all) have mentioned about heart. Well, I hope this chapter will be good, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	55. Dark Side of A Fool

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 55: Dark Side of A Fool

Souji rested himself on the couch in his room, trying to forget what he had encountered before. His encounter with one of Serpent Tail, Charles seemed to bother him.

"What my heart... truly yearns for?" the silverette muttered. Suddenly, he heard a sound from the outside. Realizing something was wrong; he stood up and went towards the window. He opened the window and took a peek outside. Then, he sighed.

"Just a dog..." Souji sighed. He closed the window. Then, he looked at the mirror to observe his image. His silver eyes didn't change their color anymore, but he still could feel the sensation of having the color of his eyes changed. Totally exhausted to think of any of them, he decided to sleep.

Meanwhile, outside Dojima's house...

"Charles, are you sure that's going to work?"

Vineyard leaned herself on an electrical pole as she asked Charles. The adjutant of Wrath shrugged before he answered. "In term of number, the Eaters have already outmatched us. They already have the Japanese troops all over the country and the number of the executive members of the Eaters also increased..." he sighed. "Even with the power our master bestowed upon us, our body isn't bullet-proof. I heard that some of the previous members of Serpent Tail 25 years ago had met their end by being struck by bullets..."

"What's your point, Charles?" Vineyard seemed to be rather confused.

"If we add one more member into our rank, a one-man-army who can annihilate a whole squadron of Japanese's elite force with ease, someone that you can expect to be inside the Eaters, that might bring us advantage in our requiem..." Charles explained. "And that man, Seta Souji..." he smirked evilly. "He would make a great eighth member of Serpent Tail if he joins us..."

"Are you sure? I think it's going to be rather problematic for all of us..." Vineyard commented.

"Initially, yes..." Charles nodded, agreeing for Vineyard's comment. "But, as you can see... like us, that man's soul is infected by some kind of disease that would usher his heart into darkness, and the disease takes its form of a kind of uncontrollable power that may drive him into insanity..." Charles outstretched his arms. "I'm just taking the advantage for such thing for the betterment of the Serpent Tail and for the sake of our master..."

"I see..." Vineyard nodded. "As usual, you always come out with an outstanding idea, Charles. No wonder you're the first one among us who is able to get out from that seal..."

"Hmm... speaking of us, I wonder if Pride isn't coming out from the seal yet..." Charles said, referring to the adjutant of Pride, Takaya. "Besides Wrath, Pride is also one of the dangerous sins among us..."

"I don't know, Charles..." Vineyard said. "We're separated into some different dimensions, so maybe Takaya has some difficulties on searching for a way back..."

Charles chuckled. "Well, at least we won't be able to cause ruckus for a while. But, sooner or later..." he looked at Dojima's house. "...the humanity will see the true form of darkness..."

~darkness~

"W-What?!" Yosuke exclaimed. "To hell with that!! There's no way I will allow you to join the Eaters!!" he shouted to a blonde pretty boy in front of him. "If you join us, then who will protect my parents?!"

Yosuke and Teddie were inside Chie's house. Chie was upstairs as Yukiko listened for the conversation between Yosuke and Teddie.

"But, Yosuke..." the blonde boy, Teddie tried his best to make a sulking face. "...all of you are having fun, and you're leaving me alone inside the damaged Junes with your parents. Teddie feels so sad..."

Yukiko sighed. "Teddie, don't feel that bad..." she stood up and patted Teddie's head. "You can join us anytime you want, okay?" she said reassuringly to the blue-eyed boy, much to the boy's enlightenment.

"Really?!" Teddie's face brightened. "You're so kind, Yuki-chan!!"

"Hey, hey!! It's not like we're having fun here!! We're nearly killed at Tokyo before!!" Yosuke exclaimed. "I've told you before to stay with my parents and protect them..." Yosuke lowered his gaze. "You're just standing on my way, Teddie. I can't protect too many people at once..."

"Yosuke..." Teddie looked at Yosuke with kind eyes.

"Yosuke-kun, it's not like Teddie isn't strong. He might be able to help us out..." Yukiko said. "Plus, he's good with healing. My power isn't enough, so do Yukari-san... so I guess that having him with us will give us advantage..."

"B-But..." Yosuke tried to say something, but then, the door bell rang. Yukiko stood up and went towards the door. She opened the door and found Yukari and Aigis.

"Ah..." Yukiko bowed to both women. "Please come in, Yukari-san, Aigis-san..."

"Sorry for intruding..." Yukari said, taking off her boots and entered the house. "Oh, good morning, Yosuke-kun, Eddie-kun..." she smiled to Yosuke and Teddie.

"Good morning too, Yukari-san..." Yosuke bowed to the brunette archer.

"Good morning, Yuka-tan!!" Teddie greeted the woman. Yukari frowned before she sighed.

"Sheesh, it seems that he's spending too much time with Junpei..." Yukari sighed.

"It's nice to see you two, Yosuke-kun, Teddie-kun..." Aigis smiled serenely to both Yosuke and Teddie. "We have o-dango here, specially-made by Yukari, this is very delicious, you know?"

"Whoa..." Yosuke looked at the container which Aigis was holding. "O-dango... it's been a while since I have one..."

"Thank you so much, Ai-chan!!" Teddie exclaimed happily. "You're so kind!!"

Yukari sighed. "Yet again, another thing Eddie-kun takes from Junpei..." she was right, among all of them, Junpei is the one who gives both of them (Aigis and Yukari) those nicknames. Yuka-tan and Ai-chan, Junpei is the one who started it. "Anyway, where's Chie?"

"She's upstairs..." Yukiko replied. "She wants to be alone for a while..." she smiled slightly. "She can't help it since this matter had pressed her..."

"We truly understand that, Yukiko-san..." Aigis said. "That's why we're here..."

"We're truly grateful for that, Aigis-san. I'm sure that Chie will be happy to have such companions like you..." Yukiko smiled gratefully.

Meanwhile, in Chie's room...

"Uhh... it's creepy..." Chie moaned as she looked at her reflection on the mirror. Both of her eyes turned red and both of them were glowing.

"Don't worry, sweetie..." Yurie said reassuringly. "The eyes won't bring any side effect to you, but you may need some times before you can adapt with those eyes..." the older woman was standing behind Chie.

"Speaking of red eyes, old man Gin has them..." Chie said. "And... Izanami and Tsukuyomi also have them..."

Yurie chuckled. "Hehe, for your information, red eyes are the symbol of divine being, the gods..." then, Yurie's hazel eyes turned red as well. "And... Princess Kushinada is also a goddess..."

"What? She's a goddess?!" Chie exclaimed.

"Yeah. She's an earthly goddess and she's one of the founders of Yasoinaba along with her siblings, the Kushinada siblings..." Yurie explained. "Mount Yasogami is the place she was born and Tatsuhime Shrine is the place where she was enshrined. In ancient days, Yasoinaba is known as Izumo... and Kushinada Clan was the ruler of the prefecture..."

"So... does it have something to do with these red eyes?" Chie asked.

"Yes." Yurie nodded. "For the people in ancient days, red eyes were considered holy and benign. Those from Kushinada Clan who had the red eyes were able to use the eyes to see the unseen, creating miracle and giving the hope for the people..."

Chie listened to her mother intently.

"But... it ended shortly after Yamata-no-Orochi appeared. It created a massive havoc in Yasoinaba, and the snake took Princess Kushinada's sisters and ate them..."

"So... that explains about the eighth thingy..." Chie muttered as she nodded.

"Actually, all of them were willing to sacrifice themselves to Orochi since they were the leaders of Yasoinaba. They were willing to be eaten by the snake in exchange of their people's life. When it came for Princess Kushinada's turn, she met Gin, I mean Susano-O..."

"And that old man Gin helped Princess Kushinada to defeat Orochi, right?" Chie asked.

"That's the idea, Chie... Princess Kushinada's parents were terrified by their daughter's fate, so they asked for Gin's help after they met him. In exchange of his assistance, he married with Princess Kushinada, and the rest..." Yurie shrugged. "You already know about it..."

Chie nodded before she asked her mother another question. "Mom, why the Serpent Tail names each of its members with seven deadly sins? Does that have something to do with Princess Kushinada as well?"

One of Yurie's eyebrows raised. "Serpent Tail?" she lowered her gaze before she spoke. "Originally, they were human beings which then corrupted with darkness. They died once before Orochi resurrects them and bestow his will-tainted power onto them. After that, they are named based on seven deadly sins, the Wrath..." Yurie looked at her daughter. "...manifested by Orochi's anger towards humanity, wanting to wipe it out from existence, and he preferred Charles as the vessel of the emotion..."

"The second one, the Envy... manifested by Orochi's jealously towards the enlightenment of humanity, which drives him to wipe them out. He bestowed the power of Envy towards Moses..." Yurie continued. "After that, the Lust... born from Orochi's desire to have ultimate power to end the humanity on the face of earth and he granted the power of Lust towards Vineyard..."

"The forth one, the Greed. It is manifested by Orochi's greed for power so he can wipe everything out, and he trusted the power of Greed onto Michael. Beware of him, as long as Greed is still alive, the Serpent Tail is invincible..." the former heiress added.

"The fifth one, the Sloth. Such emotion is produced by Orochi's unwillingness to see humanity on earth, and he gave the power of Sloth to Sake. For your information, Sake is the only survived Serpent Tail in previous Requiem. He's quite powerful, so beware of him as well..." Yurie said to Chie.

"The sixth one, the Gluttony. It is manifested because Orochi wants more destruction of humanity. He gave the power of Gluttony to Solomon..." Yurie continued. "And the seventh one, the Pride... manifested by Orochi's pride because he sees humanity as an inferior aspect and should be eliminated. He bestowed the power of Pride towards Takaya, and one of the most dangerous sins among seven of them. So, be aware of him..."

"Hmm... that's make sense..." Chie mused. "But, why seven?"

"It symbolizes Orochi's sins of course..." Yurie replied. "But, sometimes they may get an addition for their team, the eighth member, the eighth sin..."

"Eighth sin?" Chie frowned.

"It happened several times during the previous awakenings. Once they obtain the eighth member, the world will expect an utter despair..." Yurie said, lowered her gaze. "The eighth member is the one who isn't tainted with Orochi's will. Instead, the eighth member is being lured into darkness by Orochi..."

"It occurred before? In your time?" Chie asked. Yurie shook her head.

"But, if it happens now, we will be in deep trouble..." Yurie said. "They call the eighth sin as 'The Betrayal'..."

"The Betrayal?"

"Yes, it is the manifestation of the seven sins..." Yurie said. "And I afraid it may occur now..."

~darkness~

"So, that's all, Ken..." Akihiko said to Ken. Koromaru was beside the brunette boy. "That't the only thing I know about the Serpent Eaters..." three of them were standing in front of Tatsuhime Shrine.

"I see..." Ken mused. "So, is it okay if I join in?" he asked the white-haired police officer.

"Eh?" Akihiko frowned. "That's... well, you're still too young to join us. It isn't the same like fighting Shadows, you know?"

"But..." Ken lowered his gaze. "Most of you have joined in. There's no way I can sit down and do nothing as all of you fight your own way to save the world. I want to join in so I can save the world as well..." then, he took out an old watch from his pocket. "So I can make this world better for living... for everyone..."

"Ken..." Akihiko looked at the boy before he sighed. "Well, I don't know for sure, but you should ask about it to Gin, not me..."

"Gin?" Ken frowned. "Who's that?"

"Gin is me, Amada Ken..." then, a voice could be heard before an old man with red eyes came from nowhere, much to Ken's surprise. "I've heard your conversation, Akihiko..."

"Oh, so what's the verdict?" Akihiko asked.

Gin looked at Ken before he spoke. "He can join..." he put his hand on the brunette boy's head and he spoke to him. "I can sense that you have an incredible power. I wonder if you can 'judge' the adjutants of Orochi though..."

Ken was startled with that. He knew that Gin was referring to his incredible power, Cross My Heart, the power that is able to drain and purge the life force of the enemy. He never thought that Gin knew about such thing.

"Then, I shall thank you for that..." Ken said. "I will try my best..."

"Good..." Gin smiled. Then, he looked at the old watch in Ken's hand before he spoke. "And it seems that you wish to protect someone too. Quite noble, Amada Ken..."

"T-That's..." Ken put the old watch back into his pocket. Gin laughed.

"Don't afraid, Amada Ken. It's rare to find such a noble-hearted young man like you..." Gin said. "And I hope that someone who has the same kind of heart won't lose it..."

"Pardon?" Ken said.

"Nothing. I'm just talking to myself..." Gin shrugged.

Even a god didn't want to see that 'someone' to lose his heart.

~darkness~

"Ergh, get out from my head..." Souji grunted as he clutched his head. "Whatever you say, I won't submit to you!!"

_Please don't, Seta Souji. Don't resist the temptation or your own heart may explode. Just follow your instinct and you may find the answer you have been searching for..._

"S-Shut up!!" the silverette growled. It's already night and only him and Nanako were home. He shut the door so Nanako wouldn't see him, who was in utter pain. "I won't buy any single of that!! I won't step into darkness!!"

_Oh? Are you sure? Then, why do you still stay with your friends? If you don't join the Serpent Tail, you may lose your control and begin to kill those who are precious to you. Aren't you afraid of that?_

Souji's eyes widened. No wonder how twisted the fact could be, the inner voice of his Shadow was right. If he continued to stay with his friends, he might lose his control upon his power, and might go berserk and kill his friends.

"T-That's..." Souji tried to search for a suitable word, but to no avail.

_Join the Serpent Tail, and you won't need to stain your hand with the blood of your comrades. And hey! If you join the Serpent Tail, you may probably be able to change the group from within, and you may be able to save the world from within the nest of the snakes..._

"I..." suddenly, Souji could feel that his eyelids became heavier and he felt sleepy. It's like that he agreed with his own Shadow's words.

_How's that? Do you want to make a deal?_

"I..." Souji lowered his gaze before he closed his eyes. "I will... protect my friends... even if I have to fall into hell..."

Then, his body emitted some kind of purple aura before he opened his eyes, only to reveal a pair of glowing yellow orbs. An evil smirk formed on his lips before he laughed maniacally.

**"Now that's what I'm talking about!! Hahahahahahahahahahaaha!!!"**

Meanwhile, at the downstairs, Nanako was watching a TV show before she heard such maniacal laughs from her big bro's room before she heard an explosion. She stood up and ran upstairs. She twisted the knob and found that it was locked.

"Big Bro!! Big Bro!! Are you in there?" the worried Nanako knocked the door. "Answer me!!" she began to cry as she heard nothing. She also smelt something burning from Souji's room. She slumped on the floor, crying as she expected something bad happened to Souji.

Then, she stood up and continued knocking. Finding no more reply, she decided to break the door. She used a metal chair which she found beside the door. After several hits, she managed to break the knob and the door unlocked. She opened the door and gasped as she saw something terrifying.

"Big... Bro..." Nanako sobbed as she looked at Souji's room. The futon was burning as the window was damaged completely. The scent of burning fabric could be smelt inside the room.

Nanako, who was still crying, ran downstairs and used the telephone to call someone. After several seconds of waiting, the person she called picked her phone.

_Yukiko's speaking..._

"Big Sis Yukiko!!" Nanako cried. Yukiko who was on line could be heard gasped before Yukiko asked the crying girl about what happened.

_Nanako-chan, what's happening?_

"B-Big Bro..." Nanako squeaked.

_Big Bro? Souji-kun? What happened to him?_

"He's gone!!"

~darkness~

Naoto almost fell from her chair as she felt a sudden unpleasant feeling while surfing Internet to search for more clues about the Moonlight Bridge's incident. She gasped before she put her hand on her chest.

"S-Senpai?" Naoto looked at the window.

"Naoto-kun..." then, Minato entered the room. "We received a call from Yukiko. Souji is missing..."

Naoto was surprised by the revelation, but she tried to regain her composure by clearing her throat. She stood up from her chair before she asked Minato. "Souji-san is missing? What do you mean?"

Minato closed his bluish-gray eyes. "We're not sure yet, but from what I've heard from Yukiko, it might be very bad. I've called Ryoji a while ago, and I presumed that he will tell the others about it. Anyway..." Minato turned behind. "Prepare yourself, Naoto-kun. It seems that the Serpent Tail has escaped from the seal..."

"W-What?!" Naoto exclaimed. "B-But... it's still too early! Ryoji-san said that the seal is able to hold them for at least two months!!" she seemed to not believe what Minato had said. One month had passed since the sealing event.

"The seal isn't omnipotent, that's why there's a restriction for that..." Minato explained. "The Japanese Army has been dispatched throughout Inaba, so we shouldn't worry about the people. We should take the moment for us to complete the training..."

"Y-Yes!!" Naoto nodded. "I'll try my best!!"

Minato smiled before he walked out as Naoto followed him. Naoto walked behind Minato. When Minato glanced towards her, Naoto looked at another direction, trying to hide her embarrassment.

_Minato-san... if you're truly my brother..._

Naoto gulped as she looked at the taller bluenette.

_Then, why do you hide it from me?_

~darkness~

Charles was leaning himself on the wall in the abandoned warehouse. He smiled as he heard the sound of footsteps. Then, a silver-haired man, dressed in brown trench coat and had a pair of black shades on him emerged from the shadow.

"So, what is your answer, Seta Souji?" Charles asked the newcomer.

Souji lowered his gaze before he took his shades off, revealing a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Then, he smiled evilly before he spoke with such nightmarish tone.

**"I will join you..."** Souji said with his monotonous voice.

Charles chuckled before he spoke. "I see... then, it has been decided, right?" he walked towards Souji and stood in front of him. "From now on, you are the eighth member of Serpent Tail, the eighth sin, the Betrayal..."

Souji smirked. **"The Betrayal?"**

Then, the silverette chuckled before it turned into a fit of maniacal laughs.

**"Hahahahahahahahaha!! That's great!!"**

"Betrayal..." Charles addressed the new member of the Serpent Tail with the new name. "Follow me. You will need to see my master, or our master..."

**"I'm looking forward for that, Wrath..."**

Charles walked into the depth of the abandoned warehouse, as Souji followed the adjutant of Wrath, walking into the abbyss of darkness.

Thus, the eighth member of Serpent Tail finally emerged, Seta Souji, the adjutant of Betrayal, the eighth sin.

~darkness~

Phew! Finally, after some days of block, I managed to complete this chapter. In this chapter, Souji seemed to betray his friends and joined Serpent Tail to be the eighth member of Serpent Tail, the adjutant of Betrayal. It's been a while too since I have focused on Souji. Well, it can't be helped since this is Serpent Tail's arc, an arc for Yosuke and Chie. In first arc, the main characters are Souji and Minato, the second arc, the main character is Souji, the third arc (the current one), the main character is Yosuke, and the last arc, the main character is Souji. So, please expect something from this, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	56. The Snake Strikes Back

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 56: The Snake Strikes Back

"Are you ready?" Charles asked the silver-haired man in black long coat. The silverette chuckled before his silver hair elongated. He smirked as he grabbed a shiny silvery item beside him.

**"I'm always ready, Wrath..."** Souji replied, looking at the silver item, which is a masked helmet which looked like Izanagi's. Then, he put it on himself. **"Always ready..."**

Charles chuckled as he took his daggers out from his trench coat. "Well then..."

Souji unsheathed his Tamayorihime and the ancient sword transmogrified into a black naginata, Amenonuhoko, the heavenly spear of the God of Creation, Izanagi.

**"Let's get the party started..."** his yellow eyes glowed from beneath his silver helmet.

~darkness~

The troopers had been sent throughout Japan, especially Inaba. For such cause, the police department had to help them out. A while ago, the police department of Inaba had received a call from the Serpent Eaters to prepare themselves as they predicted that Serpent Tail, along with their master, Yamata-no-Orochi, had escaped from the seal.

Apart from that, the schools in Inaba had been closed for a safety measure. The kids who didn't have the adults to accompany them were asked to live with their teachers for the time being.

And for a certain police officer, Detective Dojima Ryoutaro, he was busy like the other policemen as well. He had to deal with other civilians to make sure that they would be safe. He was currently at the Shopping District with one of his juniors to deal with the civilians.

"I never thought it's going to be like this..." Dojima sighed. He also received a call yesterday that Souji went missing, much to his worries. Apart of worrying him because he is his sister's son, he also worried that Nanako had to stay in their house alone while the whole country was in chaos.

"It can't be helped after all, Dojima-san..." a young detective said. "We're doing this for Satonaka-san's sake too, right?"

"Hmm..." Dojima mused as he took a white stick out from it box and put it between his lips. He lighted it up. "For Satonaka's sake, huh?"

The revelation of Satonaka Chie being a target for a terrorist group named Serpent Tail surely was a shocking one. Dojima couldn't help much for that. But, he was quite relieved as a mysterious organization, Serpent Eaters, came out and assumed leadership upon the country to protect the people from the Serpent Tail.

"Dad? What're you doing here?"

"Huh?" Dojima turned his attention to the familiar voice, only to see his precious daughter, Dojima Nanako. She was holding a bag. Then, Dojima looked at another person who was standing behind Nanako. His eyes widened as he looked at the person, who was a woman with long brunette hair.

"C-Chisato?" Dojima mumbled as he looked at the woman, whom he had mistaken as his late wife, Dojima Chisato. Then, he realized what he had said and he bowed respectably to the woman. "I-I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The brunette woman smiled before she bowed to Dojima as well. "Ah, so you're Nanak-chan's father, right? I'm her new teacher, Ayanami Chitose. Nice to meet you..." she flashed a dazzling smile to Dojima, making the police detective rattled for a while. He cleared his throat and regained his composure before he spoke.

"N-Nice to meet you too, Chi-Chitose-san..." Dojima said. "I'm Dojima Ryoutaro, Nanako's father. Thank you for taking care of my daughter..."

"There's no problem at all, Dojima-san..." Chitose shook her head. "Since there are no adults with Nanako-chan, so I asked her to live with me in my house for the time being. I heard that his brother, Seta Souji had gone missing, isn't it?"

Dojima lowered his gaze. When Souji was around, Dojima depended on Souji for taking care of his daughter, Nanako. Without Souji, there's no one left to take a good care on Nanako. "I'm sorry for troubling you, Chitose-san..."

"That's okay, Dojima-san. I know that you're busy with work, protecting us, the civilians... I'm the one who should say 'I'm sorry' for troubling you..." Chitose said.

"I see..." Dojima tried to avoid the young teacher's eyes. "Well, you should return to your house, Chitose-san. It would be dangerous for you to stay outside too long..."

"I understand..." Chitose nodded. "Well then, till we meet again, Dojima-san, be careful..." she bowed to the police officer.

"Dad, be careful!!" Nanako reminded her father.

"I will, Nanako..." Dojima patted Nanako's head as he smiled. "I will be careful..."

Chitose and Nanako left Dojima, not before they waved their hands. Dojima smiled as he waved his hand too. As both teacher and student left, Dojima sighed.

"What's wrong, Dojima-san?" the young detective beside him asked.

"She..." Dojima mused. "She reminds me of Chisato..."

"Pardon?"

"Get back to work!! Are you planning to get demoted again?!" Dojima yelled to his junior.

"I-I'm sorry!!"

~darkness~

"Let me make it clear. Since the Serpent Tail just recently get their asses out from the seal, so they're still weak to do anything. So, they're trying to make us assume that they're strong enough even though they have just escaped from the seal. So, they might send their strongest member out to cause ruckus..." Ryoji explained to Chie, Yosuke and Yukiko.

"But, we don't know who's the strongest among them..." Chie said.

"Then, let me explain you about one thing..." Ryoji closed his eyes. "Among the seven sins, there are two dangerous sins, the Wrath and the Pride. Throughout history of the Serpent Tail, both adjutants are the strongest among them. So, we're going to expect that either the Wrath or the Pride or both are going to do anything outside..."

"Hmm... that makes sense..." Yosuke mused. "But, what if they send the other one, apart of the Wrath and the Pride?"

"There's a slightest chance for that, since the Sloth can be sent as well..." Ryoji said. "In term of superiority, it is either the Wrath or the Sloth, and it may be expanded if we count it in term of sheer strength, in which the Sloth can be counted as well..."

"So, what's the point?" Chie asked.

"Let's see..." Ryoji hummed. "I've heard from Teddie that the Pride used some kind of fancy technique that can instill fear onto his opponents since he had fought him once, as the Wrath is almost the same like you..." he pointed his finger to Yosuke. "He's a daggers' user. He depends on his sheer power and refined technique rather than using the fancy tricks that the other adjutants usually use..."

"So... we don't have to worry if we have to face that Wrath..." Yosuke mused.

"Wrong..." Ryoji shook his head. "Facing the Wrath is something that should be worried. Among the adjutants, he's the appointed leader..."

"Now... I'm worried, haha..." Yosuke laughed nervously.

"That's not something that you can laugh at, Yosuke..." Chie sighed.

"And... if we're facing the Sloth, an expert swordsman, I think we should get prepared with medium-ranged fighters like Naoto and Aigis as the main attackers with Yosuke and me as the vanguards..." Ryoji continued. "Facing him in close-combat might be a not wise decision since he's an expert in close-combat..."

"So, it can't help us much..." Chie sighed. "Sheesh... I wish Rise's here. Her power might be able to track them down earlier than usual..." the brunette woman mused.

"Too bad..." Yosuke added.

"About that, we shouldn't worry too much." Ryoji smirked. "The one that keeps bothering me the most is..." Ryoji looked at his apprentice, Yukiko, who seemed to be sulking. "What's with that face, Ojou-chan?"

"N-Nothing!!" Yukiko shook her head. "I-It just... Souji-kun isn't here..."

"Yeah..." Yosuke sighed. "And that's a problem too... I hope we can find him soon..."

"You're right..." Chie nodded. Then, the brunette woman looked at her depressed best friend. "Yukiko, let's get some fresh air outside. You haven't slept last night, right?" she said to Yukiko as she looked at her with her concerned eyes.

"Yeah..." Yukiko replied weakly. Then, Chie walked out from the chamber as Yukiko followed her, leaving Yosuke and Ryoji in the chamber.

"Well... we can't blame her for that..." Ryoji commented as he smirked.

"Ryoji-san..." Yosuke looked at the black-haired man solemnly. "You already know about it, right?"

Ryoji frowned before he lowered his gaze, chuckling. "Well, well... I expect that from you, Yosuke. You're quite sharp nowadays..." he lifted his face as he focused his cyan eyes to Yosuke.

"Souji turns against us by joining the Serpent Tail..." Yosuke said with solemn tone. "I just want to warn you to not tell Yukiko about this..."

"Ahh... quite manly, Yosuke..." Ryoji commented. "You're a very loyal friend, I can't deny it. But, as a loyal friend, can you perform 'that' duty? I mean... staining your hands with the blood of your best friend?"

Yosuke sighed. "I don't know..." he clenched his fist as he bit his upper lip. "I already know it since he told me to kill him once he went too far... but, I'm not sure whether I can do it..." he looked at his palm. "...or not..."

"Is that hesitation?" Ryoji asked as he smirked.

"More like confusion to me..." Yosuke replied.

"Aren't both of them just the same things?"

"I don't want to bother myself to think about it..."

"Okay..." Ryoji nodded.

"But... if we have someone like Rise, we might gain advantage against our enemies..." Yosuke said.

"Are you sure?" Ryoji asked. "Hmm... maybe it's not Rise, but it can help us out somehow..." he took out his cell phone as he made a call.

"Do you mean..." Yosuke seemed to realize what Ryoji was talking about.

"Are you sure we only have one seer? We have another one, a worthy one..."

~darkness~

At Tatsumi Memorial Hospital...

"W-What do you mean by that, Senpai?" Fuuka, who dressed in her nurse uniform seemed to be confused by what her senior, Mitsuru had said. Some of her colleagues looked at them curiously since they knew that Kirijo Mitsuru is the chairwoman of Kirijo Corporation, an organization that supports and owns the hospital, and they also knew that Mitsuru is the member of the Serpent Eaters.

"We, the Serpent Eaters need you to be a part of us..." Mitsuru said. "Your power is useful against the Serpent Tail..." she closed her eyes as she said that.

"B-But..." Fuuka looked at the other nurses as well as some of her patients. "I work here. There's no way I should leave them behind..."

"I can make something out of it..." Mitsuru stated plainly. "If that's a problem, I can arrange for that..."

"T-That's not why I mean, Senpai..." Fuuka shook her head. "Some of them need me..." she glanced to an old man on a wheelchair. "I don't want to leave them..."

"Fuuka..." Mitsuru looked at the green-haired nurse.

"Fuuka-san, that's alright..."

Fuuka was startled as she felt a poke on her back. She looked behind and saw a little girl, who also one of the patients, holding a rabbit doll.

"They need you, Fuuka-san..." the little girl said with her innocent tone. "They want to save the world, and they need you..."

"Y-Yeah!! Fuuka-san, you should go!!" then, another patient said.

"We can take care on ourselves when you're away, Fuuka-san!! Don't worry about us!!" after that, an old man on wheelchair said.

"Fuuka-san, you should go..." one of Fuuka's colleagues, a nurse said. "We can help them out when you're away. Don't worry too much..."

"We support you, Fuuka-san!!"

"Just go!!"

"We believe in you!!"

Fuuka's eyes widened as tears gathered on both of them. "Everyone..." she wiped her tears before she smiled. "Thank you..."

Mitsuru smiled as well before she put her hand on Fuuka's shoulder. "Well, what's your answer?"

Fuuka looked at the patients before she said. "I wish for their happiness, and I wish that they can live a good life in a peaceful world..." she looked at Mitsuru. "I know that I can't help much, but... I believe that I can make myself useful somehow..."

Mitsuru chuckled. "Hehe... if you're not useful, for what purpose I'm asking you to help us? Well, I take that as a yes. Follow me. I'll deal with this hospital later..."

"What?" Fuuka seemed confused. Before she could ask anything, Mitsuru walked out from the hospital. She followed her to the outside.

"We have prepared for everything, Fuuka. Don't worry too much..." Mitsuru said. Then, a helicopter with the symbol of Tomoe emblazoned on it came and landed in front of the hospital, much to Fuuka's surprise. "Let's get in, Fuuka..."

Fuuka nodded before she looked at the entrance of the hospital. The little girl who was holding her doll, and some other patients as well as some of the nurses were standing in front of the door as they waved her hand to Fuuka. The nurse smiled before she waved her hand back.

"Let's go, Fuuka..." Mitsuru said.

"Understood..." Fuuka nodded.

~darkness~

Charles and Souji were standing on top of a building at Shopping District. The masked adjutant of Betrayal snickered before he raised his Amenonuhoko.

**"Let's rock..."** he muttered. Then, some kind of concentrated Almighty energy gathered on the black blade of his heavenly spear. He spun it around, creating some kind of shiny trails before he swung the naginata downwards, releasing a projectile from the tip of the blade towards a building.

Within seconds, the projectile hit the target, destroying it immediately along with its inhabitants. Some people around there were shocked by the sudden explosion, thus panicked. Some police officers, including Dojima were surprised by the explosion as well.

"It's started!!" Dojima exclaimed, taking his semi-automatic gun out from its holster. "You!! Contact the Eaters, now!!" he ordered his junior to tell the Serpent Eaters about it.

"R-Right!!" the young detective nodded.

"Everyone!! Don't worry!! Follow our instruction and you'll be safe!!" Dojima announced to the panicked people. Then, he saw the Aiya's owner along with Kanji's mother.

"Follow our instruction and we won't be in danger!!" Dojima said. Then, he saw Kanji, being the first member of the Eaters arrived at the scene. "Tatsumi!! Thank god you're here!!"

"Dojima-san! Where's my mother?!" the man with bleached hair asked the police officer.

"She's there..." Dojima pointed his finger to a woman beside the owner of Aiya restaurant. "We will get everyone safe..."

"Good, please take care of my mother..." Kanji nodded before he rushed to the scene. He picked a signboard as he looked above, only to see Charles and a masked man with black longcoat.

"W-What?!" Kanji's eyes widened as he recognized the dressing which was similar to Souji's Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana. "I-It can't be!!" he predicted for the worst as he assumed a battle stance. Souji looked down from the top of the building before a smile formed behind his mask. With a battle cry, he jumped down from the building, swinging Amenonuhoko towards Kanji.

"Ngh!!" Kanji swung the signboard, parrying the spear with it. As both spear and signboard connected to each other, the spear cleaved the signboard into halves. Kanji took some steps aback before he grabbed a random item, which was another signboard. Then, his body was engulfed by blue light before he crushed an appearing blue card, summoning Rokuten Maoh of the Emperor Arcana.

"Get him, Rokuten Maoh!!" Kanji shouted as the mechanical-looking Persona with fiery patterns on his body appeared behind him. The sword-wielding Persona nodded before he dashed towards Souji. His fire-like sword released some kind of green light before Rokuten Maoh swung his sword downwars, attacking the naginata-wielding Souji.

Without much effort, Souji used his heavenly spear, Amenonuhoko to parry the larger blade of Rokuten Maoh. The pavement where he was standing was cracked due to the force from the fire-like sword.

**"Such outstanding strength, Kanji..."** Souji praised his former friend as his voice echoed from behind his silver mask. Kanji's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the voice, even though it appeared to be quite twisted than usual.

"S-Senpai?" Kanji stuttered, taking some steps aback.

**"Don't worry, I don't ever plan to end your life..."** Souji said, pushing the naginata forward, making Rokuten Maoh stumbled behind and dissipated into particles. Before Kanji could realize it, Souji used the blund side of his naginata to strike Kanji's stomach.

"Gaaah!!" Kanji cried in pain as he received such hard attack, which sent him behind. Before he could be thrown behind any further, he was stopped by an appearing brunette man, dressed in black jacket with the symbol of Tomoe on his back.

"Kanji, are you alright?" the man, Yosuke asked Kanji.

"Y-Yeah..." Kanji nodded. "Sort of..." he stood up before he groaned as he placed his hand on his stomach. "Dammit!!"

"Damn... this is the worst than I've expected..." Yosuke said as he looked at the masked Souji. He took out Malakh before he assumed his battle stance.

"You have gone too far, partner..." Yosuke said, closing his eyes. "I will do what I have promised to you..." then, his body is engulfed with blue light before he shouted. "Persona!!"

**"I'm waiting for you, partner..."** Souji said as he summoned his Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana.

"Aaaah!!" Yosuke dashed towards Souji with Susano-O of the Magician Arcana above him. Souji spun his naginata around before he swung his blade towards the approaching Yosuke.

As Malakh and Amenonuhoko connected to each other, an explosion occured.

Along with the fall of Seta Souji.

Meanwhile, in a helicopter, Yukiko could only look to the battle from the air as she sobbed. Chie closed her eyes, expecting something like this happened.

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko sobbed.

As for Charles, he observed the fight from the rooftop of a building. Then, he heard some footsteps behind him.

"Well, well..." Charles smirked. "What we have here?" he turned behind only to see Aigis, Yukari and Ken, looking at him warily as they prepared themselves to attack the man.

"So, you're Charles, right?" Aigis asked. Charles nodded. The android tilted her head before a scout knife came out from her wrists.

"Well, prepare yourself!!" Aigis assumed a battle stance. Ken went to Aigis side, assuming his battle stance as Yukari remained where she was standing, preparing herself to fire her arrows.

"Oh, quite charming..." Charles commented. "Then, I won't hold my back. Persona!!"

~darkness~

In Naoto's house, Minato observed his rapier before he kept it in his black trench coat. Then, he looked at his black Evoker before he picked it up. He pulled the trigger to hear the familiar clicking sound before he smiled. He put the gun-like device into its holster in his coat.

"Naoto-kun, are you ready?" Minato asked.

Naoto put on her leather gloves before she reached a rifle. She put the firearm at her back before she grabbed a tanto from a nearby table. She let the sheathed short blade hung on her waist. After that, she put on her trademark hat, with the addition of the Tomoe's symbol emblazoned on it.

"I am..." Naoto nodded.

"Are you nervous?" Minato asked with a grin.

Naoto lowered her gaze, trying to hide her timid expression. "A bit..." she responded timidly. "This new suit seems to be very new to me..."

"You'll get used to it anyway..." Minato said plainly. "Well, let's go..."

"Yes..."

~darkness~

Alright, Chapter 56 is completed, after suffering such a severe block. My mother questions me about why do I write a fanfic if it doesn't give me money? Well, I answered to her that I'm writing a fanfic because it's fun, same like her who was gardening, an activity that can't gain any profit at (plus with the usage of the water). Well, ignore the babbling. It seems that Souji had gone pretty bad. Well, I decided to put another OC (for Dojima's development as a character, someone like him should have love). Anyway, thanks for those who reviewed the last chapter, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	57. The Cycle

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 57: The Cycle

"N-No... he won't do that..." Yukiko cried. She couldn't believe that the man she loved the most had turned his back against her and the others. She was currently in a helicopter which was hovering at the sky above Inaba. Chie was there as well, trying to comfort the crying Yukiko.

"Don't worry... it will be okay..." Chie tried to sound reassuring, but she couldn't hold her tears either as she sobbed as well.

"This is bad..." a red-haired woman, Mitsuru sighed. "Anyway, Fuuka..." she looked at a certain green-haired woman who was still dressed in her nurse uniform, who was concentrating herself with her power. "Can you track any trace of telepathic transmission around here?"

"I'm trying at it..." Fuuka said, opening her glowing green eyes.

"Good..." Mitsuru nodded. "If you find it, can you create interruption in the transmission?"

"I never tried it, but I think I can do it..." Fuuka smiled before she closed her eyes. A faint image of Juno could be seen as she concentrated her psychic power.

"Hmm... it's been a while since I join you people..." then, a man in lab-coat spoke as he grinned. The man, the former nurse teacher of Gekkoukan High School, was in the helicopter as well.

"Don't mention it, Edogawa-sensei..." Mitsuru smiled at the former teacher. "Your assistance will be appreciated..."

Edogawa took out some documents from his bag. "Well, I've done some researches on the Serpent Tail and Yamata-no-Orochi..." he fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "The pattern is quite similar in each awakening. They will create destruction to lure the heiress out, so she could be reachable..."

"Sadly..." Mitsuru chuckled. "Bad for them. We have a cunning god in our side..."

"You're right, Kirijo-kun..." Edogawa nodded.

Meanwhile, near Tatsuhime Shrine...

"Hachoo!!"

"What's wrong, Ryoji?" Teddie asked the black-haired man.

"Nothing... I think that a gorgeous-looking woman was talking about me while sitting in a helicopter..." Ryoji shrugged. "Well, are you ready to play your part, Teddie?"

"You betcha!!" Teddie said ethusiastically.

"Alright, let the party started!!"

~darkness~

**"Are you thinking that you can win against me?!"** Souji swung his naginata towards Yosuke as the brunette knight parried the Amenonuhoko with one of his daggers. After that, Yosuke aimed a stab towards Souji.

"I don't have to win against you!!" Yosuke shouted before he tried to stab Souji. The masked traitorous warrior evaded the stab.

"I just have to beat you!!" Yosuke changed the direction of the stab by turning it towards Souji's left torso. Souji used the handle of his naginata to block the attack before he kicked Yosuke, sending the brunette man behind.

**"I never wish to kill you, partner..."** Souji walked slowly towards Yosuke. **"Just stop this futile resistance, and your precious live can be spared..."**

"You've just gone insane, Seta Souji!!" Yosuke shouted. "Beat him, Susano-O!!" he summoned Susano-O of the Magician Arcana. The Persona grabbed his massive shuriken before he threw it towards Souji.

**"Hmph..."** Souji prepared himself with an unusual battle stance, with the naginata was put against his back as he lowered his body. **"Don't blame me if you die, my friend..."** suddenly, Amenonuhoko released some kind of azure glow before Souji swung it forward, hitting on the approaching shuriken.

**"Autumn Shower!!"** he shouted, cleaving the shuriken into halves. Before the ethereal shuriken could vanish, he dashed forward, using his naginata to stab the Persona Susano-O. Yosuke grunted as he felt the pain from his Persona before Susano-O vanished. Then, Souji turned his attention towards Yosuke before he executed another attack.

**"Hassou Tobi!!"**

"Gaah!!"

Yosuke tried his best to parry most of the attacks, but some of the hovering magical blades managed to injure him. As the attack ended, Yosuke knelt to the pavement, panted heavily as some parts of his body were injured by the attack.

"I won't... submit!!" Yosuke shouted as he forced himself to stand up. "I won't die!!"

**"I see..."** Souji mused before he dashed towards Yosuke, attacking him with his Amenonuhoko. Yosuke parried his attack with his daggers and both of them exchanged attacks and parries. Although both of them were competent fighters, Souji seemed to have a greater chance of winning since his opponent; Yosuke was injured by the previous attack.

"Why do you betray us?!" Yosuke asked as he jumped backwards, trying to make himself recover by stalling. "For what intention? Are you planning to leave your friends?"

**"I never plan to leave my friends, but it might be foolish if you continue to struggle against Orochi..."** Souji said plainly, lowering his weapon. **"Many had lost their life in previous awakenings, and you're planning to see the same for this time?"**

"T-That's..." Yosuke gritted his teeth. He knew that in every awakening, casualties were something that couldn't be avoided. "I-It can't be helped. B-But... I can save them!! I can use my power to save them!!"

**"Really?"** Souji tilted his head. **"Are you sure that you can save them? If you save one person as you let the other nine die, or you save 10 people as you let 90 of them die, or you save a half of the civilians of this place as you let the other half die, are you considering yourself 'saving' them?"**

Yosuke's eyes widened as Souji asked him the question. "I-I... I don't know..." he looked at the eye sockets of the helmet Souji had on. Souji's yellow eyes were glowing. "Are you expecting me to know about it?"

**"Because..." **Souji outstretched his arms. **"I believe in you..."** in instance, Yosuke could feel that Souji was smiling serenely, a smile that he always had on all the time. **"I know you can do it, friend... just believe in yourself..."**

"Souji..." Yosuke looked at the masked warrior. "B-But, if you believe in me, why do you betray us?!"

**"To end this cycle..."** Souji answered. **"An unending cycle, a repeated process of self-hatred and prejudice, something that we can see from you... and me..."** then, he raised his Amenonuhoko. **"I will end this cycle, by bringing everything towards the end!! No more cycle will be produced, and an ultimate bliss will be unveiled!!"**

"Souji... I understand now..." Yosuke smiled. "You need my help..." he assumed his battle stance. "It is either you, or me who will bring the end of the cycle. I will end it, the pain within your heart..." he crouched before a card appeared above him. "Prepare to die, Seta Souji!!"

**"I am expecting it, Hanamura Yosuke..."** Souji nodded before a card appeared in front of him. Both of the Persona-users crushed the cards, summoning Susano-O of the Magician Arcana and Izanagi of the Fool Arcana respectively.

"Brave Blade!!"

**"God's Hand!!"**

As both designated attacks connected to each other, an explosion occurred.

~darkness~

On the top of a building, Aigis jumped into the air while activating her firearms. Ken dashed towards Charles and swung his cross spear towards the adjutant of Wrath. Charles evaded the attack easily, but he realized that it was a trap as he saw Aigis, who was still in midair, aiming her Albireos towards him.

"Ken-kun, duck!!" Aigis shouted to the brunette boy. Ken ducked before Aigis fired a flurry of bullets towards Charles. The adjutant of Wrath protected himself by summoning his Persona, Amon to repel the bullets.

As Charles repelled the bullets, Ken dashed towards him with his cross spear in his hand before he aimed the sharp point of the spear, intending to stab the man. With a sharp cry, Ken pushed the spear towards Charles' chest.

"Ergh!!" Charles moved aside, evading the stab, but the attack managed to wound his chest. He placed his hand on the wound. "Quite admirable, Eaters..."

Ken spun his spear around before regaining his battle stance. Aigis landed gracefully to the floor as Yukari, who acted as a support for both combatants, standing vigilantly behind both of them with her bow and arrows prepared in her hands.

"And you're quite resilient, Wrath..." Aigis said, letting the empty shells of the bullets ejected from her forearms as the hissing sound could be heard from both of her hands. "So, you're Charles, right?"

"Yes, that's my name..." Charles nodded.

"Care to explain about what happen to the man under there?" Aigis pointed to the direction of where Souji was. Charles looked at the masked adjutant of Betrayal who was fighting his former best friend.

"Oh... he just finds a wise way of living, to the point he loses his interest and hope upon humanity, you can't blame him for seeing the truth..." Charles shrugged as he answered Aigis' question.

"You're just manipulating him..." Aigis growled before some clicks could be heard from her hands. "Souji-san won't ever do something like that, and I won't blame him if he betrays us..." then, she aimed her Albireos towards Charles. "...because the one who responsible for bringing him into darkness is you!!"

"Aigis..." Yukari looked at the gynoid.

"Well, just put the blame on whoever you wish, lady..." Charles smirked. "...since it will turn worthless once you die." Charles' eyes turned green as he muttered a word.

"Satan..."

Then, an ethereal disfigured creature appeared above Charles as three of the Eaters felt a sudden change of the atmosphere as the creature was summoned.

"Seta Souji seeks for a power which the God afraid at..." Charles spoke with such nightmarish tone before the Persona, Satan of the Devil Arcana launched a black Almighty attack towards the three Eaters.

"Black Viper!!"

Satan fired a very massive Almighty energy towards Aigis, Ken and Yukari.

"Aaaahhhh!!" Yukari cried as the energy hit her. Aigis grunted as the energy reached her as Ken tried to withstand the energy by protecting himself with his hands and spear.

As the energy faded, three of them were injured. Some electricity sparks could be seen on Aigis' joints as Ken seemed to be pretty injured as well. But for the worst, Yukari sustained a massive damage as she got some severe wounds on some parts of her body.

"Yukari!!" Aigis turned her attention towards her best friend before she rushed towards her, who was lying on the floor, suffering a massive damage. "Are you alright?" she asked despite the damage that she sustained.

"It... hurts..." Yukari squeaked as she tried to heal herself. Aigis groaned before she turned towards Charles, not before she spoke to Ken.

"Ken-kun... take care of Yukari..."

Aigis closed her eyes, activating some systems in her body, which were self-reprogramming as well as self-recovery. Hissing noise could be heard from her joints as some of her damaged joints seemed to recover by themselves. Then, she reopened her eyes, focusing both of them onto Charles.

"You will pay for it..." Aigis said before a click could be heard. "Activating Orgia Mode!!" the sound of loud motors could be heard as some golden particles came out from her joints. Her cyan eyes dilated before some words appeared in her vision.

_Eliminate Charles by any mean._

Within seconds, Aigis dashed towards the adjutant of Wrath with two scout knives came out from her wrists. She swung the knives as Charles parried them with his daggers. Then, another loud click could be heard before Aigis muttered a word.

"Athena!!"

An ethereal figure, holding a shield and halberd, appeared above her summoner. The Persona, Athena of the Chariot Arcana nodded curtly before she threw her halberd towards Charles.

Charles' eyes widened as Athena attacked him in such short distance and he didn't have much time to evade the attack. As a last resort, he blocked the halberd with his own daggers, and his weapon scattered because of the massive force from the halberd, much to his expectation. Somehow, he managed to push the halberd aside, preventing himself from being stabbed by the weapon.

"Oh, I've lost my weapon..." Charles sighed. Aigis prepared herself to attack Charles as in Orgia Mode, she lost any connection with other things other than her objective which had been decided by herself; eliminate Charles by any mean.

"Heh... so, this is your berserk mode..." Charles said before he clenched his fist. Then, a long katana appeared magically in Charles hand, replacing the daggers which were destroyed by Aigis' attack earlier. He assumed a battle stance before he spoke. "You have amazed me, Aigis..."

"Eliminate Charles... by any mean..." Aigis muttered in such robotic, monotonous tone as she prepared herself to attack. Then, both combatants shouted in unison as they began their attack.

"Persona!!"

~darkness~

Margaret closed her eyes as she let a book fell from a shelf in the Velvet Library by telekinesis. Elizabeth frowned as she saw her sister did something unusual.

"Are you mad, Sister?" Elizabeth asked, closing the book she was reading.

"No..." Margaret shook her head as she went towards the book. She picked it up and kept it back into its shelf. "I am just rather disappointed..." she tried to smile, but to no avail.

"About Seta Souji?" Elizabeth asked.

Margaret sighed. She swayed her hand before a tome appeared magically in her hands. She opened the tome before she muttered. "Jacks..."

Jack Frost and Pyro Jack appeared at Margaret's side. Both Jack brothers tried to do something funny, but Margaret sighed again before she closed her tome, making both brothers disappeared.

"Even those brothers of Jack cannot delight me up..." Margaret sighed heavily as her Persona Compendium vanished. "Souji has chosen a hard way of living, and the way may bring a terrible end for him. I hope I can do something for him..."

"Sister..." Elizabeth smiled. "The way he prefers is up to him, and we... the residents of the Velvet Room are given a task to provide assistance for him, our guest, until he reaches the end of his journey. No matter which way he prefers, it will eventually lead him to a same end..."

"Elizabeth..." Margaret nodded. "There's nothing we can do other than... hoping for a twist of fate..."

_Hoping for a twist of fate isn't bad, but are you sure that you wish to rely something that is beyond your grasp?_

Both Margaret and Elizabeth were surprised by hearing that voice. Then, Margaret saw a blue butterfly perched on a table.

"Master... Philemon..." Margaret nodded to the glowing insect. "It is such honor to see you here, Master..." both Margaret and Elizabeth bowed to Philemon.

_Let the time flow, and you will eventually see... what lies at the end of his journey..._

Margaret smiled as she turned back. Then, tears rolled on her cheeks as she used her finger to wipe the tears.

"I believe in him..." Margaret said. "He will eventually return..."

~darkness~

An intense duel between Yosuke, the Knight of the Kushinada's heiress and Souji, the traitorous warrior, the masked adjutant of Betrayal, had occurred for almost two hours. Both of them were showing their proficiency by using their selected weapons, Malakh and Amenonuhoko respectively.

Yosuke tried to land an kick onto Souji's stomach, but the masked warrior managed to block the kick with the handle of his naginata. He pushed the naginata forwards, along with Yosuke's foot. With his gathered might, Yosuke stepped on the naginata, using it as a board for him to stand before he kicked Souji's masked face.

**"Urgh!!"** Souji grunted. Yosuke jumped backwards, landing gracefully onto the pavement. He regained his battle stance before he crouched, a stance for him to summon his other self, Susano-O of the Magician Arcana.

"Garudyne!!" he shouted, crushing an appearing card with one of his daggers, summoning Susano-O of the Magician Arcana. The Persona casted a massive wind spell towards Souji.

Souji spun his Amenonuhoko before he muttered. **"Spring's Breeze..."** the blade of his naginata glowed before he absorbed the wind with the blade, much to Yosuke's surprise. Then, Souji summoned his Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana before he said. **"Tarukaja..."**

Souji's body was engulfed by some kind of light before he raised his naginata. Yosuke grunted as he knew that Souji had amplified his strength by using Tarukaja. Yosuke decided to do the same as he summoned Susano-O and casted Sukukaja on himself. Then, both combatants dashed towards each other, and their weapons clashed.

"I swear that I'll stop the cycle!!" Yosuke shouted, jumping backwards. "I'll show you that I can stop the cycle!!"

**"I hope I can see that..."** Souji said in somehow melancholic tone. **"It is either me... or you... it's up for either of us to stop the unending cycle. People die, people survive, people love, people hate... such emotions come from the death and life of the people, and the cycle continues..."** he aimed his naginata towards Yosuke. **"And we are just the same, the victims of the mentioned cycle..."**

"The humanity needs enlightenment, not destruction..." Yosuke said. "I'll show you... I will stop to end the cycle without causing any harm towards any of them..."

**"I'm waiting for that, Yosuke..."** Souji said before he dashed towards Yosuke, swinging his naginata down. Yosuke parried the swing with one of his daggers.

Much to Yosuke's surprise, Souji released his grip from his naginata. The masked warrior used his clawed hand to grab Yosuke's head. With such force, Souji slammed Yosuke's head onto the pavement, creating a crater on it. Then, he threw Yosuke towards a building.

"Argh!!" Yosuke winced as his back touched the wall. He lost his daggers as Souji slammed his head onto the pavement. Blood could be seen on his forehead. "D-Dammit!!"

**"Unfortunately, the cycle won't be ended by you..." **Souji walked towards the helpless Yosuke before he raised his naginata, preparing himself to give a last blow towards his former best friend. **"I will be the one who will end the cycle... and you will be a part of it. Your blood will be enough as a part of a catalyst for the ending of the cycle..."**

"E-Ergh..." Yosuke grunted as he couldn't do anything. He felt that some of his bones were cracked because of the throw. "I... I won't die..."

**"You will die..."** Souji said before he swung his naginata downwards.

Yosuke closed his eyes as he waited for his demise, but the moment never came. He reopened his eyes and found that the blade was about several inches from his head. He looked at Souji and found that his eyes were no longer yellow. He could see a pair of familiar orbs, the shade of deep silver eyes.

"S-Souji?" Yosuke was confused by seeing Souji stopped his attempt to end his life.

"Y-Yosuke..." Souji said. "P-Please... kill me..." he plead as he tried to pull his naginata away from Yosuke. "I can't hold it any longer... kill me..."

Yosuke's eyes widened as Souji said that with a familiar tone, the tone that he knew, and it's the tone of real Souji. "S-Souji... don't tell me, you..."

"Please kill me... before my Shadow takes the control upon my body..." Souji said. "Please... I'm begging you..."

"W-Wait!! Souji, I'll save you!!" Yosuke said. Then, he saw that Souji's eyes reverted back to yellow, much to his frustration.

**"Instead of saving me, why don't you save yourself?"** Souji said in his demonic voice before he swung his naginata towards Yosuke. The brunette man closed his eyes. Then again, he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and gasped as he saw something which he never expected.

"You've done a great job, Hanamura..."

A navy-haired man used his rapier to block Souji's naginata from cutting Yosuke into halves. "Although I never expect something like this, I'm sure that you have figured out something..."

"Yeah... and it's very painful..." Yosuke nodded.

"Leave it to me..." the navy-haired man, Minato stepped in front of Souji before he took out his black Evoker. "I'll deal with him..."

"Minato-san, he's just controlled by his Shadow. Don't kill him..." Yosuke said.

"I know..." Minato nodded. "I can do many thing besides of killing him..." then, he aimed the sharp point of his rapier towards Souji. "Seta Souji... I'll be your opponent. Prepare yourself!"

Souji spun his naginata before he assumed his battle stance. **"I will. Prepare to die!!"**

Souji swung his naginata as Minato parried the swing with his rapier.

Thus, a catastrophic battle between two Fools began...

Meanwhile, on top of another building...

"I-Is that... Souji-senpai?" Naoto couldn't believe what she had seen.

Without her knowledge, she was about to see a truth which will eventually bring pain upon her.

~darkness~

Phew. Thank god that Chapter 57 is completed. Actually, I realized that I've done some mistakes after uploading the last chapter, but I was too busy to fix it, and it was tedious job to be done, so I let it be. About Fuuka, I was thinking of pairing her with someone. The only men left are Akihiko and Ryoji. Since I've decided to not pair Ryoji with anyone (Death doesn't need love), so the only option left is Akihiko. Well, it might be appropriate since Akihiko is the first SEES member Fuuka met. I'll manage it somehow. For those who had reviewed the last chapter, thanks a lot. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	58. Catastrophic Battle of the Fools

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 58: Catastrophic Battle of the Fools

Two warriors were fighting each other with their weapons, rapier and naginata respectively. The masked warrior raised his naginata to his head level before he swung the weapon downwards, releasing some kind of blue ray towards the blue-haired warrior. The rapier-wielding combatant swung his rapier horizontally, cutting the upcoming projectiles into two before it turned into nothingness.

"I have no intention of fighting you, Seta..." Minato said, assuming his battle stance after cutting the blue projectile. "I know you're just manipulated by your Shadow self..."

**"Me either..."** Souji replied, spinning his Amenonuhoko before he assumed his battle stance. **"I find no reason for both of us to kill each other..."**

"And yet... you're fighting me..." Minato said, putting the end of his black Evoker onto his temple.

Souji chuckled. **"Yeah, I have no reason for fighting you... but, why should we have a reason to fight? Like I've said to Yosuke earlier, it is the cycle which made us..."** the masked combatant said as he gestured to Yosuke who was becoming the spectator. **"Reason is just merely something that is made by human's trivialities, something that drives the human to do everything and in this case, fighting..."**

Souji outstretched his arms. **"Are you expecting that having a fight with a reason is a better way of life? That's just some sort of human's hypocritical thinking!! They just need a reason to justify their action!! They just want to convince themselves that they're doing a right thing!! They're just running away from the truth!! They deny their true self!!"**

Minato was silent as he listened to what Souji was saying.

**"And I know... you're same like me, right? The human's natural instinct is to kill each other as well as yearning for the death!!"** Souji pointed his pointy finger towards Minato. **"I assume that you're true to yourself!! Both of us, you and I... are destined to fight... a fight to death..."**

Minato smiled before he lowered his gaze, as well as his rapier. "Haha... I never expect that... but you're right..." he raised his gaze as he looked at Souji with his glowing blue eyes. "The world doesn't allow two Fools to exist..."

The traitorous masked warrior chuckled before he laughed maniacally. **"Hehehehe... hahahahahahahahahaha!! That's right!! You're not wrong!!"** Souji pointed his heavenly spear of Amenonuhoko towards Minato. **"This world won't allow two Fools!! Only one will survive and stop the cycle..."** the blade of his naginata glowed. **"...as the other one will be left and rotten, being the one as the dirt on Earth for a new world!! A new world for a Fool!! A new world Fool!!"**

"A new world Fool?" Minato frowned before he smiled triumphantly. "That sounds about right. Well, I will change my mind. Let's end it once and for all to see who will be the worthy Fool... a worthy one who will live to stop the cycle and be a new world Fool..."

**"Bring it on..."** Souji spun his naginata before he prepared himself.

"I will..." Minato nodded as he assumed his battle stance.

As both of them prepared themselves, the Fools dashed towards each other with their wielded weapons before both naginata and rapier clashed with each other, creating some kind of fiery sparks. Both combatants exchanged slashes and parries in a battle to death. Yosuke who was crippled by the last battle could only watch from a safe distance with horror as he expected something terrible would happen.

"N-No way..." Yosuke uttered.

As in the helicopter, Yukiko was still crying. Chie tried to comfort the crying Yukiko.

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko sobbed. "Why?"

Chie couldn't do anything for that as she sighed. She watched from the window to see one of her trusted friends, or rather a former one, had turned into a traitorous, faceless warrior. She closed her eyes as she wiped her tears.

_Minato-san... I know what your intention is..._

She reopened her eyes to reveal a pair of glowing red orbs.

_Please save Souji-kun from the depth of darkness..._

~darkness~

"God's Hand!!" Aigis yelled as her Persona, Athena of the Chariot Arcana threw her halberd before some kind of golden fist formed at the end of the spear-like weapon. Charles used his summoned sword to block the upcoming fist. He was moved behind for a few inches before he managed to stop the projectile.

"It's very hard..." Charles commented. "But... it's interesting..." he smirked before he went towards Aigis with his katana and swung it downwards. A scout knife came out from Aigis' wrist and she used the short knife to parry the sword.

Then, the gynoid pointed her Albireos of her left hand towards Charles' face. She fired out several bullets towards the adjutant of Wrath. It caught Charles off guard before the man summoned another katana and used it to block the bullets from hitting his face. Charles pushed his katana forward, making Aigis stepped behind.

"And you're quite tricky too..." the adjutant of Wrath continued to comment Aigis. The female android just stared at Charles with her seemingly lifeless cyan orbs, a sign of her being in her berserk mode, or appropriately Orgia Mode, a mode which she could disable all her limiters.

"Eliminate... the target..." Aigis muttered with her monotonous tone before placed her two fingers of her right hand on the stripes on her left hand. Some kind of hissing noise could be heard from her left hand before the hand transmogrified into a cannon. She pointed the weapon towards Charles before she muttered. "Target locked. Fire..."

Boom!!

A missile came out from her cannon, flying towards Charles. The adjutant of Wrath tried to evade the missile, but as he managed to avoid the attack, the missile changed its direction, making the adjutant shocked. The missile seemed to chase him wherever he went before he decided to face the missile directly.

"Gaaah!!"

Charles swung his sword upwards, slicing the missile into halves. But the sliced missile exploded, and it managed to slightly injure the man.

"Damn..." Charles grunted. "My trench coat... it's burning..." he sighed before he took the coat off, ignoring his wounds on his face and body. "It's very expensive, you know?"

"..." Aigis didn't say anything as she looked at Charles warily.

"Anyway..." Charles spun his katana around before he pointed it towards Aigis. "Quite admirable, Aigis. Now I can kill you without regret..."

Aigis' eyes widened as Charles vanished from her vision before she felt a presence behind her. A short sword emerged from each of her elbows before she turned behind to see Charles with his katana. Aigis parried Charles' strike with one of her short swords before she used her false leg to kick Charles' stomach.

"Heh... I wonder how you can stabilize yourself..."

Again, Aigis' eyes widened as her leg was held by one of Charles' hand before the man pulled her leg, spinning her around before he threw her away.

"Aigis!!" Yukari, who was crippled by Charles' attack earlier cried as she saw her best friend being threw away.

"Athena!!"

In the nick of time, Aigis summoned Athena and used her to stop herself from flying in air any further. The Persona of the Chariot Arcana sent her back on the rooftop. Aigis glared towards Charles before she dashed towards him again.

"You're very tough..." Charles commented as he blocked and dodged every of Aigis' attacks. As Aigis was about to deliver a strike by using her short sword, her eyes widened as smoke came out from her false ears.

"Eerghh!!" Aigis grunted as she reached her limit. She tried to take some steps aback to avoid counterattack. But it was too late for her as Charles realized that he got a chance.

"It seems that your mode... still has its own weakness..." Charles said before he threw a punch on Aigis' stomach.

"Aahhh!!" Aigis cried in pain as Charles punched her stomach. She tried to reactivate some of her limiters and systems so she could regain her balance, but it was far too late for her as Charles threw another punch on her chest.

"It's the end for you, Miss Aigis..." Charles choked the weakened Aigis's neck as he lifted her with one of his hands. "You should be proud to withstand me for such a long time..."

"Aah..." Aigis whimpered as Charles gripped her neck. As Charles tightened his grip, Aigis' eyes widened before she cried in pain. "Aahh!!" it seemed that even though she was a machine, the human side of herself felt the pain.

Charles pointed his katana to Aigis' face before he spoke. "Well... goodbye..."

Tears came out from Aigis' eyes before she closed them, waiting for the doom which was intended upon her.

_Minato-kun..._

Zapp!!

Charles frowned as Aigis vanished from his grip before he heard a thud behind him. He turned behind and saw Ken, with the crippled Aigis in his arms, was looking at him with shiny blue eyes. Then, the brunette boy looked at Aigis before he spoke.

"Aigis-san... don't worry, you'll be safe..." Ken smiled before he stood up and looked at Charles with his shiny blue eyes warily. He tightened his grip on his cross spear before he spoke. "I can't tolerate with a person who hurts a lady..."

"Oh... so you're a chivalrous one, right?" Charles grinned smugly. "Prove yourself, kid!! Let me see your resolve!!"

"I will!!" Ken yelled before he dashed towards Charles and used his cross spear to stab the man. Charles deflected the attack with his katana before he used another one of his katanas to attack Ken.

Ken took his Evoker out from its holster, using it to block Charles' slash. As he managed to deflect Charles' attack, Ken put the end of the summoning device onto his temple before he shouted. "Kala Nemi!!"

The Persona of the Justice Arcana, Kala Nemi appeared behind Ken. The boy looked at the mechanical-looking Persona before he shouted. "Use the Vile Assault!!"

The Persona nodded curtly before he raised one of his pointy hands, swinging it downwards, creating some kind of white electrified trail on its own. Charles' eyes widened before he parried the attack. Although he managed to block the attack, he was sent behind by the force.

"Now... that's interesting..." Charles stabbed the floor with his katana, stopping his momentum from being thrown behind any further. "You're quite good too, Amada Ken..."

"You will see..." Ken spun his spear before he pointed it towards Charles. "How good I am. Prepare yourself, Charles!!"

~darkness~

Souji jumped down from the top of an electric pole towards Minato who was standing on the ground with his naginata in his hand. As he came nearer to the navy-haired combatant, Souji swung the naginata downwards, intending to slice the other Fool. Minato parried the slash with his rapier and the attack created an impact on the ground.

**"Show me the real strength of a real Fool!!"** the masked warrior yelled as he jumped backwards, landing gracefully on the pavement with one of his bladed feet. Then, some kind of red Almighty energy was concentrated in his clawed left hand before he threw an energy ball towards Minato.

Minato nonchalantly used his rapier to slice the ball into two before he pointed his Evoker on his temple as he shouted. "Suzaku!!"

He pulled the trigger of his black Evoker, summoning Suzaku. The fiery Phoenix let out a sharp cry as it was summoned before it looked at the masked Souji. It fired out a fiery missile towards Souji.

**"Hmph!"** Souji steadied himself before a card appeared in front of him. He crushed the card with his clawed hand as he shouted. **"Genbu!!"**

He summoned Genbu, a giant turtle with the tail of a serpent. The sacred beast growled before it let out a sharp cry as the temperature around it declined. Then, an icy barrier was formed around Souji before some sharp spikes emerged on the barrier. The spikes detached from the barrier, becoming the icy missiles which were used to counter the massive fireball from Suzaku.

Fog and steam were produced as both ice and fire collided to each other. Minato and Souji leaped into the cloud of fog before they fought within it. Both of them swung their respective weapons, and the sound of clashing metals could be heard just like the sound of thunder from a black cloud. Electrified force could be seen on the cloud just like the lightning and it might be produced by the sparks from their collided weapons.

Yosuke could only see from a safe distance with his widened eyes as he tried to pick himself. He placed his hand on his bloodied forehead before he slowly walked towards the cloud despite his injury and massive loss of blood.

"Don't interfere, Hanamura..."

Yosuke stopped and turned behind, only to see an old man with one eye closed. Two katanas could be seen hanging on his waist.

"B-But... Daidara-san!! They'll end up killing each other!!" Yosuke protested. Then he grunted as some of his wounds reopened. "Urgh!!"

Daidara closed his single eye. He placed his hand on Yosuke's shoulder.

"Don't interfere in their battle, Hanamura..." Daidara spoke. "This is a prophesized battle between two of them. Throwing yourself into it is just severing the chains of fate of this ultimate battle..." he reopened his eye and lowered his gaze. "From the moment they were born, they were destined for facing each other to death. Both of them are the Fools who are meant to be created to fight one another until one of them dies... and the other one remains..."

Yosuke gritted his teeth as he bellowed. "I-It doesn't make any sense!! People shouldn't kill each other to death!! It is unacceptable!!"

"Really? Then you're thinking it as a coincident?" Daidara asked.

"Coincident?" Yosuke seemed confused.

"Look..." Daidara pointed at the cloud. "Both of them enjoy the fight..." the kenjutsu master spoke to Yosuke. "Don't you expect that both of them have realized their role in the cycle of fate?"

Yosuke grunted. "N-No..." Yosuke shook his head. "I refuse to believe it..." he looked at the cloud as lightning came out from it. "I know... Souji and Minato won't ever do that..."

Meanwhile, on the building...

"Minato-san..." Naoto just looked at the cloud. "Senpai..."

Back into the cloud, Souji and Minato dashed towards each other, swinging their weapons. Both metallic weapons clashed, producing another sparks which created the lightning effect that could be seen outside.

**"Only one Fool is allowed to live!!"** Souji shouted as he spun his naginata before he swung it towards Minato. **"The other one should perish!!"**

"I bet..." Minato replied coldly as he parried the naginata with his rapier. "If we are meant to destroy each other..." he looked at Souji's glowing yellow eyes. "Why do we have to live? Why do we have to sign that contract?"

**"I expect you to know the answer already..."** Souji chuckled before he outstretched his arms. **"Like what I've mentioned before, it is the cycle which made us... an unending cycle which drives this world in some kind of stereotyped order, which causes this world to revolve in such a dull manner. I know that you're just the same like me, feeling such a massive boredom in this dull world..."**

"I see..." Minato mused. "Well... I won't deny it..." he smiled. "But... what would you expect if you make a change for this world? The change will eventually cease the stereotype-ness of this world eternally. For that, a massive chaos will happen..."

**"What's the big deal anyway?"** from Souji's tone, Minato could feel that he was speaking with a huge grin. **"Isn't that what a new world should have? Let's just think of it like cleaning dirt on a cloth with detergent? The chaos it the detergent which will cleanse the dirt and we, the Serpent Tail will act as a catalyst that will hasten the process." **Souji spoke proudly. **"Soon, the chaos which will be imposed upon the world will eradicate the humanity, along with their world itself... and we will sit on the throne of the world!!"**

Minato sighed. "Such a lame analogy... and you're quite a ham when saying that..." he spoke with such a deadpan expression before he assumed a battle stance. "But I can fully understand that since I won't let it happen..."

**"So it has been decided right?"** Souji said, assuming his battle stance. **"You and I are destined to fight each other..."**

Both combatants shouted in unison as they jumped towards each other, clashing their weapon, exchanging slashes and parries. Then, both of them jumped upwards, getting themselves out from the cloud, making themselves visible to some of the spectators.

"Gaaahh!!" Minato shouted as he swung his rapier towards Souji as the masked warrior parried the slash with his naginata. As the gravitational force began to pull them down, both of them hovered themselves onto two electrical poles.

**"Despite that I love fighting..."** then, Souji spoke. **"...it doesn't mean that I like having a long battle..."** he jumped towards Minato and intended a stab on him. Minato used his rapier to deflect the stab. Souji landed on another pole.

"What's your point?" Minato asked.

**"Well..."** Souji shrugged. **"You're my former comrade after all..."** an evil smirk formed beneath his silver mask. **"So, I might probably know something that a typical foe usually doesn't know..."**

"Huh?" Minato frowned before his eyes widened. "Don't tell me..."

**"Yes..."** Souji nodded before he looked at Naoto who was watching their fight from the rooftop. **"A tough man usually has his gentle side, which sometimes becomes a deadly weakness in battle..."**

In an instant, Souji leaped from the pole he was standing on towards another pole, jumping towards Naoto. Within seconds, Souji was standing in front of Naoto.

"W-What?!" Naoto was surprised as Souji instantly stood in front of her.

"W-Wait!!" Minato shouted before he dashed towards Souji. "Don't hurt her!!"

**"Too late..."** Souji spoke nonchalantly as he raised his naginata, intending a stab towards Naoto. In that rate, Minato seemed to not have enough time to reach them.

"Dooon't!!" Minato cried as he jumped towards them. As Souji began to use his naginata to stab Naoto, Minato's eyes widened in horror as he expected something worst was going to happen. Naoto was petrified as the blade of Amenonuhoko was drawing closer towards her.

_I will protect Naoto, even if I have to die..._

Minato shut his eyes as he took out his black Evoker, putting its tip on his temple and pressing its trigger. A massive aura could be seen coming out from his body before he shouted in echoed voice. "Messiah!!"

The Persona of the Judgement Arcana emerged from his back before the white humanoid figure let out a sharp cry.

"Don't touch her!!"

Minato shouted as he looked at Souji and Naoto with teary eyes before Messiah fired a massive Almighty attack towards Souji. The masked warrior was sent flying by the energy blast. Minato smiled as he managed to prevent the attack. Then, he landed in front of Naoto gracefully before Messiah dissipated into golden particles.

"M-Minato-san?" Naoto looked at Minato with stupefied look.

Minato looked at Naoto with a serene smile before his eyes widened. He felt a massive pain on his chest before blood came out from his mouth.

"I-I think... that's my limit..." Minato said weakly, putting his hand on his chest. It seemed that using Messiah had shortened his lifespan and he was already on his limit. "Naoto..."

"W-What?!" Naoto was worried by Minato's condition as she went nearer to him. "A-Are you alright?"

"Naoto..." despite the pain he sustained, he still managed to smile serenely. He closed his eyes, showing a delighted expression. "I love you..."

Naoto's eyes widened as Minato uttered the words. Before she could reply it, Minato stepped behind towards the edge of the rooftop. "W-Wait!! Minato-san!!"

"Take care..." Minato flashed a final smile before he let himself fell down from the building, much to Naoto's horror.

"Minato-san!!" Naoto cried as she tried to reach Minato's hand, but to no avail as she couldn't catch his hand. The navy-haired man fell from the building and Yosuke who was watching the battle instinctively dashed forwards and caught him in midair.

"Minato-san!!" Naoto shouted before she heard the footsteps behind her.

**"Hehehehe... !!!"** then Naoto heard the maniacal laughs behind her before she turned back, only to see Souji, laughing maniacally as he watched Minato fell from the building. **"So it's true after all. A tough man does have a gentle side... which eventually becomes a fatal flaw..."** then, he looked at Naoto.

"S-Senpai..." Naoto spoke to the masked man, her former comrade. "What are you doing?"

**"Well... I'm just finding a better way of living..."** Souji shrugged nonchalantly. **"Actually... that poor man is your brother, a man who you have sought for a long time..."**

Naoto's eyes widened by hearing the words. Of course she already knew it, she's just uncertain about it. Souji's statement just enough to convince her that she was right.

"He's my brother?" Naoto asked Souji.

**"Exactly, Naoto-kun..."** Souji nodded. **"Well, I don't like an unfinished job. You can follow your brother afterwards..."** Souji aimed his naginata towards Naoto. **"Prepare to die!!"**

Naoto took some steps aback before she pulled her rifle from her back, firing it towards Souji. The masked warrior deflected every bullet with his heavenly spear of Amenonuhoko before he managed to reach Naoto. Souji lifted his naginata, aiming a slash onto Naoto.

"Erghh!!" Naoto grunted as she pulled out her tanto from her waist, parrying Souji's attack with the short blade. Then, her eyes widened as she felt a hard strike on her stomach. Souji kicked her with his bladed foot, sending her behind to the edge of the building. Naoto lost her grip on both of her weapons.

"Ergh..." Naoto whimpered as she tried to pick herself. Souji walked towards her before he picked Naoto's tanto. As Souji was standing in front of her, the masked man used the tanto to stab Naoto's thigh.

"Aaahhh!!" Naoto's screamed in pain as her own weapon pierced her thigh. Then, Souji pulled it out before he stabbed it again on her another thigh. She shrieked in agony as she sustained such an unbearable pain.

**"Hehehehe... ahahahahahahahahaha!!"** again, Souji laughed maniacally as he continued to torture Naoto. He stabbed Naoto's left hand, her right foot and her left shoulder. **"This is... refreshing!!" **he avoided to injure Naoto's vital parts so he could indulge the moment of ending Naoto's life after torturing her.

Naoto cried in pain as blood came out from her wounds. Then, Souji threw the tanto aside before he lifted his naginata to his head level before he spoke. **"Well... you can meet your brother in heaven after all..."** tears came out from Naoto's eyes. **"Goodbye... Shirogane Naoto..."**

"Souji-kun!!!"

As Souji began to swing his naginata, he heard a voice from above, halting him from executing the final blow. He looked up and saw Yukiko, standing at the opened door of a helicopter which was hovering above Souji. She was crying as she looked at Souji.

**"Yukiko?"**

"Souji-kun!! Please don't do it!!" Yukiko plead to Souji for not killing Naoto. "I know you won't do such thing!!"

Souji blinked before his yellow eyes reverted to silver. Then, he looked down to Naoto.

"Naoto?" Souji muttered as he looked at Naoto who was severely injured.

Despite her injuries, Naoto smiled. "Thank goodness...you're back..."

Souji looked on his palms which were stained by Naoto's blood. Then, he remembered that he was fighting Minato.

"Oh my god..." the masked warrior muttered. "What have I done?!"

"Souji-kun..." Yukiko who was in the helicopter was looking at Souji.

Then, Souji looked at a destroyed building, which was caused by him. "I-I... I killed them too?"

He looked at his palms as he realized the terrible things he had done.

"Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!" he wailed with such regretted tone before he fell to the floor, lying unconscious.

Meanwhile, at the battle scene between Charles and Ken.

"Huh?" Charles turned his attention towards the place where Souji was at. He parried Ken's attack with his katana before he jumped behind.

"Well... see you..." Charles vanished, much to Ken's surprise.

"Crap..." Ken grunted.

Charles reappeared on the building where Souji and Naoto were located. He walked towards the unconscious Souji before he picked him up. He glanced to the semi-unconscious Naoto before he spoke.

"Well... goodbye..." Charles said, holding the unconscious Souji in his arms before both of them were surrounded by mist and vanished.

"S-Senpai..." Naoto squeaked before she closed her eyes, fainted due to her massive blood lost.

~darkness~

"Oh..." Vineyard who was standing in an alley nodded. She just received a message via telepathy from Charles, telling her that they retreated. As she turned to walk away, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

"What a surprise, Miss Vineyard..."

Vineyard turned behind and saw a black-haired man, dressed in white shirt and black pants, adorning his neck with long yellow scarf. A silver long sword magically appeared in his hand.

"So, you're Mochizuki Ryoji..." Vineyard spoke, taking out her guns.

"Yes I am..." Ryoji nodded.

"And... don't forget Teddie too!!"

Vineyard heard a voice in front of her. She looked ahead and saw a blonde boy with claws in his hands. The boy grinned as he spoke. 'Wow... you look hot!"

"How do you know that I'm here?"

"It's me..."

A green-haired woman in nurse uniform came into vision. The blurred image of Juno could be seen above her.

"A seer..." Vineyard mused. "So, what're you going to do on me?"

"Let's say that..." Ryoji tilted his head. "...you should look up..."

Click!

Vineyard's eyes widened as she heard the sound of clicked trigger. She looked up and saw a man with black glasses, armed with a bazooka. He was standing on a corridor.

"Let's end it up with a bang..." the man, Yakushiji muttered before he pressed the trigger, firing the bazooka towards Vineyard. The adjutant of Lust barely evaded the missile as the explosion which was caused by it seemed to injure her.

"Fuuka! Stay behind me!!" Ryoji shouted as he used his body to cover Fuuka from being hit by flying debris from the explosion. Teddie used his arms to protect himself. Yakushiji jumped down from the corridor and landed onto the ground.

"Ergh..." Vineyard grunted. "Shit..."

"Well..." then, another man came, armed with a katana and gun. "I usually don't hurt lady, but it seems that I can't help it much for that..." then he looked at his assistant. "And for you, Yakushiji... could you please stop doing too much damages?" he sighed as he reprimanded his assistant's behavior in battlefield.

"You're saying it, Shirogane-sama..." Yakushiji spoke to the man, Misanori.

"Uurgh!!" Vineyard aimed her gun towards Misanori. "Die!!" she fired towards the detective, but as an experienced combatant, Misanori managed to evade every single bullet before he stood in front of the woman.

"Go to sleep..." Misanori spoke before he punched Vineyard's stomach. The woman's eyes widened before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Well... it's done..." Misanori shrugged. "I don't know whether we should celebrate for this or not..."

"Let's think about it later..." Ryoji spoke solemnly as he looked at the unconscious Vineyard. "Let's pick her home..."

~darkness~

Phew! After several tries, I finally managed to finish this chapter. Well, I decided to put Souji with bad guys for quite some times before he returns to the good side. About Minato, don't worry about him since he's just going into a comatose state. Let's see, I don't see that Fuuka x Akihiko as a weird pairing. I have no problem with Mitsuru x Akihiko, but it's just too stereotyped and I decided to not make it a stereotype. I realized that Souji had laughed maniacally three times in this chapter, so please imagine his laughs like Adachi (since both Souji and Adachi share a same English voice actor). Anyway, thanks for those who reviewed the last chapter, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	59. Veil

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 59: Veil

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my lad..."

Souji slowly opened his eyes and found himself in the Velvet Room. The master of the room, Igor was sitting on the luxurious chair in front of the blue table in front of him as he expressed his usual smug expression. Margaret and Elizabeth were standing beside him.

"Igor?" Souji spoke, observing his surrounding. He looked on his palm, which looked pretty normal than his clawed hands of his Shadow version.

"Seta Souji..." then, Igor closed his eyes. "You have done a terrible thing..."

Souji lowered his gaze as he remembered the sins he committed; destroying a building and killing its occupants in the process, hurting his best friend Yosuke, killing Minato and severely injuring Naoto.

"I... I killed them..." Souji uttered as he looked at his palms with his widened eyes. "And... I killed Minato too..."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No... Minato is still alive..." she managed to smile even with such a melancholic tone. "But... he's hurt a lot..."

"Thank goodness..." Souji smiled sadly. "But I hurt him... I hurt Yosuke... I hurt Naoto..." he gritted his teeth. "I hurt everyone..." then, he looked at Igor. "Igor... can you do something about this?"

Igor shook his head. "Sadly, I can't..." then, he pointed his finger towards the silverette. "No matter whose side are you in, you're still abide with the contract. That means..." a small book appeared in Igor's hand. "The one who takes responsibility of your action is you..."

"So..." Souji looked directly at Igor. "What can I do?"

"My lad..." Igor said to Souji. "The answer for such question can only be found by your own self. You are Seta Souji, the bearer of the truth, someone who can see clearly through hesitation and falseness. No matter how dark the future awaits, someday..." Igor swayed his hand before the contract vanished. "...the light will shine upon your path, revealing the answer for you..."

"But..." Souji looked on his palms. "If it continues... more people will be hurt..."

"Don't worry, Souji-san..." Margaret smiled gently to the silverette. "Someday, the bonds you have forged with the others will be the light that will shine upon you, vanquishing the darkness which taints your soul. Only time could tell whether you might be able to find the truth..."

"Margaret..." Souji looked at Margaret.

"Well then, my friend..." Igor smiled smugly to the silverette. "I hope that you will someday find the truth you have been seeking for. But..." he swayed his hand before a shiny velvet-colored key appeared in it. "To make thing interesting, I will have to get a hold on your Velvet Key, taking it into our custody. You won't be able to get an access to the Velvet Room, unless if we summon you in..."

"Fair enough..." Souji sighed. "If I still be able to enter this place on my accord, I may get myself strengthened, making it difficult to my friends to achieve victory against Serpent Tail..."

"So, you're going to play villain again, am I right?" Igor asked with a smug smile.

Souji closed his silver eyes. "It seems that I have to go with the flow..." he looked on his palm. "Even though my Shadow self, as well as myself had done such terrible act, we have created a pact with each other to usurp the Serpent Tail from within..." he lowered his hand. "Although it went against what I've planned, I still have the advantage to gain more information about Yamata-no-Orochi and give them to Serpent Eaters, discreetly of course..."

"Quite bold, my friend..." Igor smirked as he listened to Souji's plan. "But, it may cost your precious life if you proceed..."

Souji smiled sadly. "I don't mind. I would be happy if my life ends by the hands of my friends..."

"Will you regret it?" Igor asked. "How about the Priestess?"

"She..." Souji shifted his gaze towards another direction. "She'll be happy without someone like me at her side. She won't need to cry again..." then, he looked forward before he lowered his gaze. "She'll be happy without me. Someone who has a soul tainted with darkness won't suit to provide her the needed happiness..."

"I see..." Igor mused. "Quite a chivalrous act, and selfless as well, but also selfish at the same time..."

"I can't help it much..." Souji replied as he shook his head.

"Well... the only thing I could say to you then is good luck..." Igor smirked before Souji's vision blurred. "But remember, don't regret it..."

"I won't..." Souji muttered.

His vision darkened.

~darkness~

Souji opened his eyes and found himself in the abandoned warehouse, the Serpent Tail's headquarter. He was lying on a large container. He touched his face and found himself that he didn't have his mask on him. Then, he heard the sound of footsteps before Charles appeared into his vision.

"Good morning, Betrayal..." Charles spoke. "Do you have a good sleep?"

Souji stared at the adjutant of Wrath with his silver eyes before the silver orbs turned into yellow as he smiled evilly. He stood up as he spoke with such demonic voice.

**"Indeed, Wrath..."** Souji replied with an evil smile. **"I never felt this good before..."**

"I see..." Charles mused. "Well... I have something to report to you. It seems that our adjutant of Lust, Vineyard, was taken captive by the Eaters..."

**"Just let her be..."** Souji replied. **"We won't need a weakling who was taken down by the enemies easily..."**

"Is that so?" Charles frowned before a malignant smile appeared on his lips. "Well... I never thought you would be this evil, Seta Souji..."

**"Hmph!" **Souji snorted before he raised his hand and a silver Izanagi's helmet appeared in it. He put it on himself before he spoke. **"If you're saying that, you had seen nothing yet. The world will see a true form of darkness, and I will be the one who conduct the dark orchestra!"** he outstretched his arms as he spoke proudly. **"This world will turn into a symphony of death, and I will be the maestro!!"**

"Maestro?" Charles smiled. "Well, you're sure an idealistic person, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, within Souji's psyche...

"It turns even worse than I thought..." Souji sighed. "But..."

He smiled triumphantly.

"Like I've said, it's good to be evil once for a while. It gives me advantage to shape things up..."

~darkness~

"Whoa! So, this is our hidden hideout, isn't it?" Fuuka looked around with awe as it was her first time entering such place. The green-haired nurse was accompanied by Mitsuru as they walked along the white corridor.

"Well... with Ryoji's assistance, we managed to shift the locations of the portals for this hideout into one of our vans, Kirijo's mansion, Amagi Inn, Satonaka's Residence and Inaba Municipal Hospital..." Mitsuru explained. "So, as long as we're here, we can make ourselves ready for any attack..."

"Yeah, you're right..." Fuuka nodded. "But..."

"I know..." Mitsuru closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for not telling you..." they stopped in front of a door. "With exchange of his power, Minato got a very unpleasant drawback. Due to the lack of body, Ryoji used his blood to create another substitute body for Minato, indirectly turning Minato into a Shadow because Ryoji himself is a Shadow..." she put her hand on the knob of the door before she opened the door. "With the body, Minato achieved a superhuman strength and ability, but his soul wasn't suit the body, thus creating a disturbance within him. With that, his body assimilated his soul from within, slowly killing him in the process..."

As they entered the room, they looked at a man lying on a bed. A nurse who was sent from Inaba Municipal Hospital was checking him. The nurse nodded as she saw Mitsuru and Fuuka entered the room.

"How's he?" Fuuka asked.

"His heartbeat rate is lower than normal, and the temperature of his body is inconsistent..." the nurse looked at the unconscious Minato with a concerned look. "He needs a constant care for that..."

"Will he make it?" Mitsuru asked the nurse. "Can he survive?"

The nurse shook her head uncertainly. "In this kind of rate, we can't guarantee anything. Even the doctors can't make something out of it..."

"I see..." Mitsuru mused. "Well... thanks for the assistance then. We truly appreciate it..."

"It's nothing..." the nurse shook her head. "I've done nothing in particular. You should thank the doctor for that..."

"No..." Fuuka said. "You're the one who take a good care of him. We shall thank you for that. Compared to you..." Fuuka lowered her gaze. "...I'm the one who have done nothing, even though that I am also a nurse..."

"Fuuka-san..." the nurse smiled. "You're helping them to fight against those monsters. You can't say that you're doing nothing..." she looked at the green-haired nurse with kind eyes.

"B-But..." Fuuka's face reddened. "I can't do anything to Minato-kun... I'm weak..."

The nurse looked at the unconscious Minato before she looked at Fuuka. "Is he an important friend of yours?"

"Y-Yes..." Fuuka retorted.

"A precious one..." Mitsuru added.

"I see..." the nurse smiled. "This man sure is a lovable one..." she placed her hand on Minato's forehead. "Well, if you excuse me, I've something to attend outside. Would you mind to watch over him when I'm out?"

"Sure..." Mitsuru nodded. "Go ahead..."

The nurse smiled before she went out from the room.

"She's a good nurse, isn't she?" Mitsuru looked at Fuuka.

"Sure..." Fuuka nodded.

Meanwhile, the nurse was walking along the corridor before she spotted a black-haired man, dressed in white shirt and black pants with yellow scarf warping his neck, was leaning himself on the wall. The nurse smiled before she went towards the man.

"Oh my..." the man, Ryoji spoke. "I never thought that the Goddess of Death is doing a job which is related to human's life..."

The nurse chuckled before her body was covered with golden particle. Then, the nurse was replaced by a silver-haired woman, dressed in white clothes. She lifted her gaze, revealing a pair of glowing crimson eyes, the eyes of the divine beings.

"Well... I'm just doing my job..." the woman, Izanami chuckled. "Inaba sure is crowded lately, with the ruckus which were caused by Orochi and his manikins..." she shrugged. "So, since I've nothing to do nowadays, I decided to play a nurse's part..."

"To make it short, the Goddess of Death is bored, that's all..." Ryoji commented. "So, I would like to know about your opinion with our friend's..." then, his voice turned solemn. "...betrayal. Doesn't it sound a little... disappointing?"

Izanami sighed. "Well... I would rather disappointing if it's not Seta Souji..."

Ryoji frowned. "Why?"

"I've fought him once, and I know him quite well..." Izanami's red eyes were fixated to Ryoji's ghostly blue orbs. "Seta Souji is, in fact, quite cunning..." she smiled mischievously. "...just like you. He often spots something that his friends can't spot, and he will use it for his self-interest, as well as the interest of his fellow friends..." she turned from Ryoji. "He knew that his soul was tainted by his darkness, and yet he managed to find a trick with that situation, in which he had to turn his back against his companions to join his enemies so he could use the evilness he created to usurp the enemies from within..."

"Ahh... quite good, Izanami..." Ryoji commented. "So, should we play our part?"

"Certainly..." Izanami nodded. "Mortals sure are interesting creatures. I will play a part as a distant spectator as well as a nurse... and you as one of their allies who actually knows anything about the truth..."

"Sounds interesting..." Ryoji smirked. "So, we have to keep it secret, right?"

"You know it better, Thanatos..." Izanami said before she reverted into her nurse self. "Well, I have a patient to deal with. See you later, Ryoji-san..." she nodded politely before she walked away.

Ryoji chuckled as he looked at Izanami-in-disguse who was walking away from him before he commented.

"Izanami, I wonder if role-playing is your expertise..."

~darkness~

"The damages she received were quite severe, but thank goodness that none of her vital parts were disturbed..." Yukari explained as she healed the unconscious Naoto. As she moved her hand, she grunted as she felt the pain which was caused by the previous battle with Charles. "Oww!!"

"Yukari-san..." Chie looked at Yukari concerningly. "Please don't force yourself..."

Yukari smiled despite the pain she had. "Don't worry. It's not a big deal..." then, she looked at Naoto. "I'm worried about Naoto-kun..." she lowered her gaze. "...and Minato-kun too..."

"Poor thing..." Chie sighed. "To know something which is true sure is hurting, right?"

"Yeah..." Yukari nodded weakly as she continued to heal Naoto by using her healing magic. "I can understand that..." she still could remember her guilt upon the past events which had something to do with her father, Takeba Eiichiro. Not to mention that Ikutsuki's betrayal was counted in as well. For now, she could accept it all as she finally knew the truth, enabling herself to go forward.

"Yukari-san..." Chie looked at Yukari. "Do you know that Naoto is Minato-san's sister?"

"I know..." Yukari nodded. "Minato-kun told me that..."

"He told you that?" Chie frowned. "I-I thought he's in love with Aigis-san..."

Chie's statement made the glow on Yukari's hand shrunk before vanished into thin air as the atmosphere around them became heavier. Yukari lowered her hand as she looked at the unconscious Naoto sadly.

"I-I mean... oh my god, what've I said?!!" Chie realized what she had said before she bowed to Yukari apologetically. "I mean, I'm sorry!!"

"That's alright..." Yukari smiled wistfully at Chie. "At least, that's the way people around him look at him..." she chuckled forcefully. "I can't deny it that I'm jealous to Aigis for her affection towards Minato-kun... and he sometimes returned the affection..." then, she looked at Chie with a serene smile. "But... I know something for sure. Someday, maybe someday... I will be able to have that kind of affection towards him..."

"Yukari-san..."

"Speaking of love..." then, Yukari mused. "How about you and Yosuke-kun? You and him are quite comfy with each other lately, aren't you?" she asked the younger brunette woman. Chie was agitated by the sudden question which caught her off-guard.

"N-No!! That's ain't like it!! There's no way I can even 'like' him!! He's a total moron, pervert, idiot and many more!! There's no way I can 'fall' on him!!" Chie protested.

Yukari laughed before she placed her hand on Naoto's forehead. "Hahaha... that's a cute reaction, Chie-chan..." she smiled playfully, making Chie blushed. "Sometimes, an idiot man is a suitable partner in life, you know?"

"Geez... don't joke with something like that, Yukari-san..." Chie lowered her gaze, hiding her reddened face.

Meanwhile, at Cosplay Cafe...

"Hachuu!!"

"Huh?" Chidori who was sitting in front of her computer looked at her husband, who was sneezing when he was sweeping the floor while there're no customers around. "What's wrong, my knight-in-shiny-armor?"

"N-Nothing..." Chidori's husband, Junpei shook his head as he rubbed his nose. "And... from what manga did you get that word?"

"Just from this old shoujo manga, darling..." Chidori took out an old girl manga as she smiled playfully.

Junpei sighed as he continued to sweep the floor.

_My wife in an otaku, there's no doubt about it. Well, that makes her cute though..._

~darkness~

"She haven't touch the food we gave her, sir..." a police-officer reported to Akihiko who was standing outside the cell which contained a woman in prisoner's garb. The woman, Vineyard was taken into the Eaters' custody after being defeated by Misanori and Yakushiji.

"I see..." Akihiko mused. "Well... that's bad..." he looked at Vineyard. "If she doesn't eat anything, we might get some problems in getting information from her..."

"I won't tell you anything, dimwitted creature!!" Vineyard exclaimed.

"At least you should eat the meal..." Akihiko gestured to the food. "Your power is sealed inside the cell, so you're just the same like an ordinary human, the dimwitted creature that you've mentioned earlier..." he spoke nonchalantly before he left.

"Tch!!" Vineyard grunted.

Meanwhile, at the outside, Misanori was standing motionlessly as he watched at some birds. Then, Akihiko came.

"Still no luck..." Akihiko said as he shook his head. "Aside of refusing to tell us about her master, she also refuses to touch the food we provide to her..."

"So, we gain nothing, eh?" Misanori looked at Akihiko.

"I afraid that I've to say 'yes'..." Akihiko replied as he looked on the pavement. "Damn... I hope that I can punch her jaws and let her blurts the words out..."

"And yet, you refuse to do such thing..." Misanori spoke. "Vineyard is under the Eaters' custody, not the police. You may do anything you want to her..."

"Hurting a girl isn't my style, Misanori-san..." Akihiko replied as he closed his eyes.

"So, what should we do now, Akihiko-kun?" Misanori asked as he smiled. "I afraid that I can't help much since my granddaughter is having troubles..."

"I don't know..." Akihiko spoke. "Maybe we should use a lighter method..."

"Like what?" Misanori asked, seemingly curious.

"I think I should ask Ryoji to build a cell inside our hideout and transfer her there so my fellow companions can do something out for her..."

~darkness~

Yukiko was sitting alone in an empty room of the hidden hideout. Souji's betrayal was too much for her to handle and she preferred to be alone for a while.

"Yukiko..."

Yukiko raised her gaze as she heard a man's voice. She turned back and saw Yosuke, with his bandaged head and right hand. "Yosuke-kun..." she forced herself to smile. "Are you alright?"

"Sort of..." Yosuke shrugged. "But... what're you doing here? There's nothing except this creepy emptiness..."

"I need some times alone, Yosuke-kun..." Yukiko replied. "This empty room helps me to calm myself..."

"Hmm..." Yosuke hummed. "So, there you go..." he looked at Yukiko. "You're just trying to run away from the reality, right?"

"..." Yukiko was silent.

Yosuke walked towards Yukiko as he stood in front of her. "You can't accept the fact that Souji has betrayed us, right?" he looked at Yukiko with solemn expression. "I still remember what you've said to me before..."

"You're saying that life is an image on a piece of mirror, can be reflected, bent and refracted by doing some changes on the mirror..." Yosuke continued. "Now, Souji is just the same like Saki-senpai, a shadow of the past, a virtual mirage of reality..." then, he crouched before he grabbed Yukiko's shoulders, much to her surprise.

"So, where does that resolve go?" Yosuke asked. "The resolve to not look at the past, looking forward for the future?" he stood up, forcing Yukiko to stand up as well because he held her shoulders. "Are you going to betray your own words?"

"..." Yukiko lowered her gaze.

"You try to escape the fact that he turns his back against us, such a cowardice action from someone who was essentially believed by me..." Yosuke spoke. "If you realized that you're that weak, why did you say that to me? Why?"

"Enough!!"

Slap!

Yukiko slapped Yosuke's face. She lifted her gaze, looking at the brunette man with her teary eyes.

"You're right..." Yukiko said as she began to sob. "I'm weak..." tears rolled on her cheeks. "I'm too weak to keep my words..." she clutched Yosuke's clothes. "I should have realized it earlier... I can't do anything, I'm useless..."

"Yukiko..." Yosuke looked at the crying woman as he placed his hand on her head tenderly.

"I thought I was strong enough..." she tried to smile but to no avail. "...but, in the end, I can't protect anyone..." she placed her face on Yosuke's chest. "When Naoto-kun was hurt, I can't do anything to stop Souji-kun..."

Yosuke stroked Yukiko's black hair as he tried to comfort her.

"I thought I can do anything that I couldn't do before with my strength..." Yukiko continued. "But I was wrong..." she pressed her clutched hand on Yosuke's chest. "In the end, I'm just a worthless Yukiko..."

"Yukiko..." Yosuke whispered to Yukiko's ear. "It's okay to feel it. It is the human's nature, isn't it?"

"Yosuke-kun..." Yukiko said with squeaky voice. "Why should it feel so hurt to stay strong?" Yosuke could feel that his jacket became wet because of Yukiko's tears. "Why should I feel that way?"

"I don't know, Yukiko..." Yosuke shook his head. "I don't know..."

Yosuke looked up to see the ceiling before he closed his eyes, not before tears came out from them.

_Souji... I'm sorry. I can't do what I've promised to you._

~darkness~

Finally, chapter 59 is out!! Yay for me!! Actually, I was kinda stressed because I failed my test for driving license, so I don't have anything to say here. So what I have to write here is, thanks a lot for those who reviewed the last chapter, and don't forget to drop your reviews in this chapter, yay!!

Albireo Imma


	60. The Covenant

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 60: The Covenant

Naoto slowly opened her eyes and found herself on a bed. She tried to move her limbs and grunted as she moved them. Then, she remembered that she was severely injured by Souji before. Not to mention that she eventually found the truth about Minato.

"Naoto-kun... if I were you, I won't move too much..." then she heard a voice. She looked at the door and found Ryoji who had his trademark grin on him. "It's not easy to patch the holes Souji created, so it would be wise if you don't move too much..."

Naoto sat up despite the pain. "Ryoji-san..." Naoto looked at the black-haired man before she asked him. "Is that true... that Minato-san is my brother?"

Ryoji looked at Naoto before he sighed. He went towards her and sat on the chair near the bed. He looked at the woman with such gentle gaze, almost the same like Minato could have. He smiled gently towards her, making the detective blushed. "If I were you, I won't ask such thing. I believe that you already knew it from the moment Minato became attached to you..."

Naoto lowered her gaze and remembered the moment when Minato started to train her. Even without being told about it, she could vaguely feel that the man was holding some kind on affection towards her. Not to mention that since Minato became a part of her life, some forgotten memories resurfaced, strengthening her belief that Minato is her brother.

"Naoto-kun..." Ryoji placed his hand on Naoto's head. "You should be thankful to have such brother. He didn't want you to get hurt... he wanted to protect you... he wanted to see your smile..." then, Ryoji lowered his gaze and spoke with unusual solemn tone. "It's just... he didn't want to be rejected by you... he feared your rejection..."

"Why?" Naoto looked at Ryoji. "Why should he afraid?"

"I assume that you know it better, Naoto-kun..." Ryoji said with a smile. "Before that incident, he promised to you, remember?"

An image of two little kids with blue hair, one boy and one girl, came into Naoto's mind. The girl smiled happily as she hooked her little finger with the boy's.

_It's a promise, remember?_

_ Yeah... I will be here with you, Naoto-chan... always..._

Unexpectedly, tears came out from Naoto's eyes before she sobbed. She cried silently on the bed as Ryoji watched her.

"H-He's a jerk..." Naoto whimpered. "I wanted to be with him, and yet he feared my rejection because he broke the promise..." she wiped her tears with her finger. "It's not like it's an important promise..."

"For him, it's very important..." Ryoji said. "He's the one who experience the pain by seeing your parents died. For him, the promise was an obligation that he shouldn't break, and he considered his action for breaking such promise as a sin. So, he wanted to atone that sin by getting himself out from your life... but he loved you more than anything else..."

"Ryoji-san..." Naoto said. "I want to see him... I want to see my brother..."

Ryoji sighed. "Naoto-kun, I'm sorry but I have to say..." he said seriously. "...that Minato is in comatose state. He had overused his Persona ability by summoning his ultimate Persona, Messiah. It reduced his lifespan for at least several months..."

Naoto was shocked by the revelation. "D-Does that mean... he's going to die?"

"I hope he won't..." Ryoji shook his head. "He's currently under extensive care. We're still trying to get a solution to cure him..."

"I-I want to see him..." Naoto said.

"Take it easy, Naoto-kun..." Ryoji pushed Naoto to her bed. "You should take a good rest. You've lost too much blood because of Souji. Thank goodness that none of your vital parts were disturbed..."

"Is that Souji-senpai?" Naoto asked.

"I afraid that I should say yes, Naoto-kun..." Ryoji replied. "Souji is currently a part of the Serpent Tail as the eighth adjutant, Betrayal. I have to admit it's quite a surprising one..."

"No..." Naoto shook her head. "That wasn't him... I still remember it, that's not him. It's like something was controlling him from within..."

"I know..." Ryoji nodded. "He was controlled by his Devil..."

~darkness~

"W-What?!" Junpei exclaimed. "S-Seriously?! Are you kidding?!"

"Does my face look that I was kidding?" Akihiko spoke as he pointed his finger towards his face. "I repeat it again; Minato is currently under comatose state and is taken under extensive care. Since you're his best friend, I have to tell you about this matter..."

"Shit..." Junpei grunted. "I figured it... no wonder he's acting strangely nowadays..."

"Oh my..." Chidori seemed to be quite surprised by the news. "I hope he will be okay..."

"I'm hoping for that too, Chidori-san..." Akihiko said.

"Senpai..." Junpei looked at Akihiko. "I want to join you guys. I can't just sit down and do nothing..."

"Junpei, it's not like I don't appreciate it, but you have a pregnant wife! Do you want to make your child a fatherless one?" Akihiko gestured to Chidori who was placing her palm on her stomach. The red-haired woman blushed slightly as Akihiko mentioned the word 'pregnant'.

"T-That's..." Junpei gritted his teeth. "In that case, I won't die that ease! I still have my Trismegistus, remember? Maybe I haven't honed my skill for quite some time, but I believe I can help you guys!!"

"Junpei..." Akihiko sighed. "Look, even Souji had turned against us. It might be even dangerous if someone like you enter this war..."

"Damn..." Junpei grunted. He received a call from Yukari some moments earlier about Souji's betrayal which was only known by the Eaters. Even the police department wasn't told about the matter.

"Akihiko-kun, just let him join..."

"Huh?" both men looked at Chidori who was talking earlier.

"I know the risk, and I love him that anything else..." Chidori spoke. "But... Minato-san is his friend. There's no way he can sit down and do nothing if something happened to his friend..." Chidori put her right hand on her chest. "I know that feeling, because I think I've felt it before..."

"Chidori-san..." Akihiko looked at the woman. He remembered the moment when she was begging to have her Evoker back after being taken by them when she was taken into their custody. Even though Chidori wouldn't remember that thing anymore, the fragments of her feeling in her previous life couldn't be separated from her.

"See?!" Junpei looked at Akihiko expectantly.

After several minutes of thinking, finally Akihiko let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, alright... I'll tell that old man Gin about it. But are you sure? I mean, I heard that your long sword was confiscated during a baseball match at Koshien..."

"Right..." Chidori placed her hand on her mouth, refraining herself to not laugh. "That's quite embarrassing..." she remembered that day when Junpei brought his sword as a lucky charm during a baseball match, only to be taken away by the authority because it had scared some of the audiences and other players.

"Nah... That thing is only for show..." Junpei said. "My real weapon is this..." he went to a cabinet and took out a baseball club. "Tadaa!!"

"Junpei, that's a baseball club..." Akihiko commented.

"It _was_ a baseball club, before being modified..." he placed his hand on the end of the club, pulling it like a scabbard, revealing a shiny blade. "Behold, my secret sword, Baseball Katana!!"

"Where in the world did you find that thing?" Akihiko asked as he looked at the unique sword.

"Ever since his team beat Black Phantom team which is sponsored by a Yakuza group, he became an obvious target for the Yakuza throughout country..." Chidori explained. "There's a time when some Yakuzas came and caused ruckus in here, but after I told them to leave, they never came back..."

"Huh? That's strange..." Akihiko looked at Junpei. "That doesn't sound like a Yakuza at all..."

"Sometimes woman has her own way to scare dudes..." Junpei shrugged. "But I still worried about that, so that's why I crafted this thing myself. So, I'm quite happy since this thing finally comes into handy..."

"I hope..." Akihiko nodded. "But remember, Takaya is a part of the Serpent Tail, so beware of him..." he looked at Chidori. "It's not impossible for him to use Chidori as a tool to beat us, so maybe we should bring her along..."

"I know..." Junpei nodded before he sighed. "Sigh... that friggin' hippie just too hard to die..."

~darkness

Souji was sitting on the rooftop of the abandoned warehouse before he heard footsteps behind him. Without sparing any second to think, he unsheathed his sword and pointed its end behind without looking at the person. Then, he felt a metallic thing was put on his head.

"Oh, so Charles is right..." the person, Takaya spoke as he put the end of his revolver on Souji's temple before he pulled it back. Souji also sheathed his Tamayorihime back into its scabbard. "So, you're Souji, right?"

"Right..." Souji nodded. Takaya frowned.

"You didn't sound like what Charles had told me..." Takaya said. "He said that your voice sounds like you're in a cave..."

"Does that mean I have to speak that way all the time?" Souji asked, looking at Takaya with a pair of his silver eyes.

"And, Charles told me your eyes were yellow, just like me..." Takaya said, looking at Souji's silver eyes with his yellow orbs.

"Don't bother me, Pride..." Souji said, standing up. "I don't have much time to play with your foul game..."

"Don't have much time?" Takaya smirked. "I know what you mean, Betrayal. You're trying to preserve your sanity, that's all..." then, he walked around Souji before he stopped behind him. He placed his hand on Souji's shoulder. "But, are you sure that you need that sanity? We won't need it anymore..."

"Get your hand off, Pride..." Souji spoke, brushing Takaya's hand away from his shoulder. "Just leave me alone..."

"My pleasure..." Takaya shrugged before his body turned into mist. Souji sighed.

"I know... I won't need my sanity afterwards..." he muttered. "But I have to preserve it until that time..." his left eye switched its color from silver into yellow before it reverted back into silver. "I have to admit that it's quite tiring, but I should end what I've started..."

~darkness~

Naoto who was sitting on a wheelchair was brought by Ryoji into the room where the unconscious Minato was located. In the room, Aigis, Yukari and Misanori could be seen. Minato was on his bed, seemingly unconscious as a nurse was monitoring him. Yakushiji was beside his master. Yosuke was there as well.

"Grandpa?" Naoto was surprised by seeing her grandfather.

"Naoto, I've been expecting you to come..." the elderly Shirogane spoke. "Come, I have something to tell you...."

Ryoji brought Naoto towards the man. Misanori placed his hand on his granddaughter's head before he looked at his unconscious grandson's face. "You might probably know about this already, but I'll tell you that Minato is, in fact, your biological brother..."

"I know..." Naoto said weakly. Then, she looked at her grandfather's face. "But, why did you hide it from me?"

"I'm sorry, Naoto. This is all my fault. I disowned him after that incident..." Misanori said. "Our family is a demon summoner's clan, and having a child who survived in a life-taking incident was considered as a bad omen. So, I sent him to Arisato family..."

"You..." Naoto looked at Misanori. "You abandoned him..."

"That's the most difficult thing I've ever committed, Naoto... but, I cared about him. I observed him from afar, making sure that he's alright..." Misanori said with melancholic tone. "He didn't want me to tell you about himself because he cared about you..."

"Grandpa..."

"I know, you can throw all the blame to me..." Misanori said. "I'm the one who should be blamed for this..."

"No... I won't blame anyone..." Naoto shook her head. "But I'm relieved..." she smiled. "I still have a my brother..."

"Naoto..." Misanori looked at his granddaughter's face.

"Anyway, why are you here?" Naoto asked.

Misanori cleared his throat before he spoke. "Well, I hid it for so long, so I should apologize for you that I'm also a part of the Eaters. I'm sorry to not tell you earlier, but this is Minato's wish..."

"No wonder you're always nowhere to be seen..." Naoto commented.

Naoto stared at her brother's face. Aigis smiled as she looked at Naoto before she placed her hand on the detective's shoulder.

"Don't worry... he'll be alright..." Aigis said reassuringly.

"Yeah, he's tougher than how he looks..." Yukari spoke as she grinned. "You're a lucky one to have a good brother like him..."

"Yeah..." Naoto nodded. "I'm a lucky one..."

"It looks like my presence is ignored..." Yosuke muttered as no one seemed to realize his presence in the room.

"Well, not anymore, Hanamura-kun..." Misanori looked at the brunette man. "Meeting you is one of the reasons for me to enter this place..."

"Huh?" Yosuke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It seems that we should get our old pages unfolded..." Misanori closed his eyes. "Every battle in every Serpent Requiem is prophesized since the beginning of the time, including Seta Souji's betrayal and the final battle between us and Yamata-no-Orochi..."

"The point, please?" Ryoji asked with his trademark grin.

"Every victory we gained in previous Serpent Requiems is something that had been prophesized by Izanagi, the God of Life and any action Yamata-no-Orochi and his minions committed seemed to play against the prophecy. So, Gin or Susano-O used the knowledge of the prophecy to create some sort of manual for the Eaters if something unexpected arises..." Misanori explained. "So, since Souji's betrayal is an unexpected one, it's time for us to refer for the old page..."

"Old page? Do you mean that prophecy thingy is written down?" Yosuke asked.

"Indeed, but instead of on the papers, those prophecy were written down in someone's mind, quite literally..." Misanori spoke. "It is written in the mind of Tatsuhime shrine maiden..."

"Shrine maiden?" Ryoji frowned. "Now that's interesting. But from my point of view, I didn't see any shrine maiden in that old shrine..."

"Because they don't have to act like shrine maidens at all... but their life is associated with the shrine..." Misanori said. "They are Amagi family..."

"Amagi? Do you mean... Yukiko?" Yosuke asked.

"Her mother, Yuriko..." Misanori corrected. "In the previous Serpent Requiem, she became the shrine maiden after she obtained the knowledge of the prophecy. It's quite fancy though, so I thought you should get your time, because it might be a tedious job for you to handle this on your own..." he smiled.

"Hmm... alright..." Yosuke nodded. "So, how and when should we get her?"

"Now..." Misanori answered plainly.

"Huh?" Yosuke frowned. Before he could do anything, Misanori placed his hand on Yosuke's shoulder before he felt like they were sucked into a place. Before he could realize it, they were in the middle of the main chamber of Tatsuhime shrine.

"Instant transportation, a demon summoner's technique which comes in handy once in a while..." Misanori explained. "Well... only Shiroganes know about this technique and the other three Kuzunohas are unaware of this thing..."

"That's a nice ride, eh?" then, Yosuke saw Ryoji who was leaning himself on the wall. "Why do you get here?"

"I'm a god, so what would you expect?" Ryoji said as he smirked.

"O... kay..." Yosuke mused. Then, he saw Gin and Yurie who were standing beside a sitting figure who resembled Yukiko. The figure was Yuriko, Yukiko's mother. She dressed in red and white shrine maiden attire.

"Hanamura Yosuke..." then, Yuriko spoke, opening her eyes to reveal a pair of glowing red orbs. "Come closer, please?"

"Y-Yes..." Yosuke nodded before he reluctantly walked towards the woman.

"Sit..." Yuriko ordered.

"A-Alright..." the brunette man followed the order as he sat in front of Yuriko in seiza position. Yuriko stared at the brunette man with her glowing red eyes. Yosuke gulped.

"My, I've seen something within you..." Yuriko spoke. "Sooner or later, your role in this war will change and you will see the world with a new point of view..." she placed her index on Yosuke's forehead.

"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked.

"I assume that you already know about my role, right?" Yuriko smiled.

"I-I know..." Yosuke nodded.

"Well... let's get ourselves into business, shall we?" Yuriko lowered her hand. "In the prophecy, two stars are destined to intercept with each other and those two stars are..." she pointed her finger towards Yosuke. "...you, and your precious yet traitorous friend, Seta Souji..."

"What?" Yosuke seemed confused.

"The prophecy has already set the fate for both of you. As the two stars intercept, only one will remain..." Yuriko continued. "That means... both of you are destined to kill each other..."

"That's..." Yosuke lowered his head. "I knew it..."

"The cycle of fate won't be easily broken, unless if either you or he commits an unexpected action..." Yuriko said. "But, looking at the current state, it seems that the battle to death between both of you is imminent..."

"It isn't right at all..." Yosuke shook his head. "I won't kill my best friend... I won't do it..."

"Do whatever you like, Hanamura-kun..." Yuriko spoke. "But, the cycle of fate is already decided. It is either you or him who will be destroyed. Just fooling around and doing nothing will set the fate against you. You will see yourself being destroyed by him if you don't act and kill him..."

"That's..." Yosuke gritted his teeth.

"And that's why..." Yuriko stood up. "The Eaters need you. After this, you will take the place where Souji had left, to be the leader of your friends..."

"Leader?"

"Indeed, Yosuke..." then, Gin spoke. "It has been decided, Yosuke. Since both Minato and Souji are no longer with us, you are the one who left to lead the way..."

"I'm... the leader?" Yosuke said.

"Isn't that what you want?" Misanori asked. "This is your only chance, Hanamura-kun..."

"I..." Yosuke stood up.

Gin smirked. "Just believe in yourself, Yosuke..."

"Gin-sensei..." Yosuke looked at Gin.

"Ah, before I forget, I've something to give you, Yosuke..." Ryoji said before he took out a pair of glasses with silver frame. It resembled Souji's glasses which were used by him some years ago. "You might need this..."

"Glasses?" Yosuke went towards Ryoji and took the spectacles.

"I believe that Souji already has a pair of special eyes which eventually give him advantage in battle, so fighting him in normal condition won't be a wise decision. I took Souji's original glasses from Teddie and I modified it so this thing has the same properties as Souji's eyes..." Ryoji explained. "It might help you, so take it..."

Yosuke looked at the glasses before he closed his eyes.

"I'll do it..."

~darkness~

Ayayayaya!! Sorry for the late update!! I don't have anything to say in particular, so as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	61. The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 61: The Hero with a Thousand Faces

"So, I am Hanamura Yosuke, Serpent Eaters' new field leader, nice to meet you guys..." Yosuke spoke to his friends, the members of Serpent Eaters. He was standing in front of them, wearing black long jacket with black ensemble. White belt strap could be seen on both of his arms.

"What's up with that attitude, Yosuke?" Chie asked, seemingly amused. "It's rather fancy to see you this mature..."

"Ergh... shut up, Chie..." Yosuke grunted. "Your mother told me to do this in front of you guys. Since what your mother always says is an equivalent of an absolute order, there's nothing I can do about it..." he sighed.

"I can understand that..." Chie agreed as she nodded.

"So, Yosuke's our new leader, isn't he?" Teddie asked. "Whoa... that's cool!! I wanna be the leader too!!"

"In your dream, Ted..." Yosuke said, looking at the blonde young man.

"Maybe Yosuke-kun is just a jerk, but when it comes to this matter, he's just as reliable as Souji-kun..." Yukiko nodded. Although her tone sounded normal, most of them could feel that Yukiko had forced herself to say Souji's name.

"Yukiko... I don't know whether to happy or not while hearing that..." Yosuke said, trying to cover the awkwardness in the air.

"Well... what can I say here is... I'm counting on you, Hanamura..." then, a certain red-haired woman, Mitsuru spoke as she closed her eyes before she smiled. "I will gladly help you if something happens..."

"I appreciate that, Mitsuru-san..." Yosuke replied, bowing to Mitsuru.

"Don't forget that we support you too!!" Yukari announced as she raised her right hand. Beside her, Aigis chuckled.

"Let's work together after this, Yosuke-kun..." Aigis spoke, smiling sweetly to the new-appointed leader.

"Arf! Arf!"

"And..." Aigis looked at the red-eyed white dog before she patted his head. "He said 'I'll support you 100 percent!'..." she said and Koromaru let out a bark.

"Dude, I got your back..." Junpei said, grinning to Yosuke.

"Yosuke-san, I will gladly help you after this..." Ken said to Yosuke. "We will protect others, right?"

"Yeah... we will protect other people, Ken..." Yosuke nodded.

"Senpai, if you have problem with this, just tell us! We will solve it together with ya!!" Kanji exclaimed.

"That's good, Kanji..." Yosuke replied.

Then, Yosuke looked at a certain white-haired police officer who was leaning himself on the wall.

"So, I hope in this rate, police department and the Serpent Eaters will help each other better after this..." Akihiko said. "I am, on behalf of the police department, counting on you..."

Then, Ryoji chuckled. The black haired man who was leaning himself on the wall like Akihiko spoke. "You know the deal, Yosuke. The most important thing is that you should believe in yourself..." he smiled.

"I'll remember that, Ryoji-san..." Yosuke nodded.

"So, what's the plan, Leader?" Chie asked, grinning.

Yosuke scratched his head before he sighed. "Well... I haven't thought any of that for now... so, I'm sorry..."

"It can't be helped after all..." Yukiko spoke. "You need some time to think, right?"

"Yeah..." Yosuke nodded. "Thank you, Yukiko... I'll think of it at once- eh?" then, Yosuke felt that his cell phone rang. "Who the hell will call me at this time?" he grumbled as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller's address. He shocked as he saw the address.

"Yosuke-kun..." Yukari realized the change on Yosuke's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Yosuke tried to cover his anxiety as he lowered his cell phone. "Well... I have a business to be dealt with. So, dismiss!!" he went towards the door, not before he looked at Ryoji who was grinning.

"Well... good luck, Leader..." Ryoji said, smirking. Yosuke went out from the room and rushed towards another empty room. He leaned himself on the door as he looked at the address.

_Seta Souji_

"Crap..."

~darkness~

Yosuke was standing in front of Saki's mark stone. He dressed in black jacket and leather pants. A pair of daggers could be seen in two holsters which were hanging on his waist. He sighed before he looked back at his cell phone. He remembered his shocking conversation with his traitorous friend, Seta Souji.

_Hello, Yosuke... it's nice to hear you..."_

_ "Souji?!" Yosuke gasped, seemingly not believing what he had listened just now._

_ "I know what you're thinking just now, Yosuke, but save it for later. For now, I have something to tell you..."_

_ "Hmm? What're you talking about? And why do you calling me?" Yosuke asked furiously._

_ "Like what I've said, save it for later. I wish to see you this evening at Yasoinaba's graveyard. I have something important to tell you..."_

_ "..."_

_ "Don't worry... I don't have any ill intention upon you. But if you worried about this, you may bring your weapon. But, make sure to go alone. I don't want others to know about this..."_

_ "I-I see..." Yosuke mused. "Well... it can't be helped..."_

_ "Good. Well, I'm looking forwards for seeing you, Yosuke. See you later..." then, the conversation ended._

Yosuke sighed. Although Souji might be his friend, he's a part of the enemy now and he had to be wary of him. He brought his Malakh as a safety measure if something happened.

"Sorry for making you waiting, Yosuke..."

Yosuke turned to his back and saw Souji, dressed in brown trench coat. His trademark weapon, Tamayorihime could be seen in his left hand. Yosuke took some steps aback, seeing whether the newcomer could have an ill intention upon him.

"Don't worry, Yosuke. I'm just here to talk..." Souji said.

"But... you're bringing your sword. How should I believe in you if you bring that thing?" Yosuke asked, seemingly skeptical. He placed his hands on his daggers which were inside the holsters on his waist.

"Relax. Same like you, I bring this thing as a safety measure. If you attack me when I arrived, I'm sure that I should use this to defend myself..." Souji replied. "Just believe in me. I don't bring any of the other members of Serpent Tail with me. This is just a discussion between you and me..."

"Do they know about this?" Yosuke asked.

"An adjutant has no right to involve himself in other adjutant's matter, so they won't bother themselves to look what I'm doing just now. Anyway, let's get ourselves into business..." Souji looked at the grave mark of Konishi Saki. "For your information, I come here to tell you about our plan..."

"Huh?" Yosuke was shocked by Souji's statement. "What do you mean?"

Ignoring Yosuke's question, Souji continued. "In the middle of August, we will launch a first grand attack upon Yasoinaba and the attack will start at our former school, Yasogami High School..."

"I-In the middle of August? W-Wait?! Isn't that the time for the school festival?!" Yosuke exclaimed. "If you people attack that place, the kids will..."

"Exactly..." Souji nodded. "The attack will begin when the place is crowded with students and family members alike. Then, the attack will continue along Samegawa before it ends at Shopping District..." Souji explained the plan.

"T-That's horrible..." Yosuke mused. "B-But why school? And why during the festival?"

"Because it is essential for the grand finale of Serpent Requiem, when Orochi summoned his army to make all living things along their way perish..." Souji said. "If he kills those people, he will use the dead bodies as the main ingredient for making his favorite tool of all time, Undead Soldiers..." Souji explained to Yosuke.

"T-That's horrible..." Yosuke commented. "But, why do you tell me about this? Isn't it a top secret for your people?"

Souji sighed before he turned to Yosuke. His eyes seemed melancholic before he spoke. "Then, I'll tell you a secret. I am, in fact, a double agent..." he smiled. "For now, I served as a fellow adjutant of Serpent Tail to get the information about them and give them to you. My betrayal is just a masquerade to enable myself to get my way cleared..."

"S-Souji... a-are you..."

"Yes. Even with my heart tainted with darkness, I will use it against the Serpent Tail, by any mean..." Souji said. "Even by fooling my friends..."

"So... you're just playing a villain role, aren't you?" Yosuke asked. "B-But, if you're just playing it, you did injure Naoto and Minato..."

"Yosuke, that's the most difficult thing I ever committed..." Souji sighed again. "To prevent my cover to be blown, I have to make it real, even by injuring my friends..." the silverette said as he looked at Yosuke with such sorrowful look.

"T-That's..." it was a very surprising thing Yosuke ever heard, making him slumped on the ground. "...you..." he glared at Souji with his teary eyes. "...you're totally a jerk!!"

"I'm sorry..." Souji said.

Yosuke gritted his teeth before he stood up, clenching his fist. He looked straight at Souji's silver eyes before he rushed towards him, punching his face, sending him towards a tree.

"I hate you to do it by yourself!!" Yosuke shouted as tears gathered on his eyes before rolled on his cheeks. "Infiltrating the enemy's base and playing villain, that's the most selfish action I've ever seen!! You don't have any idea about what happened to Yukiko when she saw you like this!! She almost can't stand on her own because of you!!"

Souji picked himself as he dusted his trench coat. A bruise mark could be seen on his cheek before he spitted out blood. He sighed before he spoke. "I've caused trouble to everyone, to Yukiko, to Chie, to Minato, to Naoto." Souji looked on his palms. "I've done too many sins, not just to them, but to those people I killed too. And... that's why I have to tell you about this..."

"What's that?" Yosuke asked.

"I want to be killed by my best friend..." Souji spoke, smiling. "At least, I know that there's someone who knows about my intention..."

Yosuke shouted. "No!! You won't be killed by anyone!! You will be brought back to us and be punished by everyone!! If you die, we will go back to Yomi and take you and punish you again! Y-You're not allowed to die that way!!" Yosuke shook his head. "It's not right at all... I don't want to see you die as a bad guy..."

"Yosuke..." Souji looked at the brunette man.

"Souji... do you know about the prophecy?" Yosuke asked.

Souji nodded. "The prophecy was made by Izanagi, and because of my new power, I obtained some of his knowledge, making me aware of that thing..." he turned back to the grave mark. "It is whether you or me to die, right?"

"I don't want to see you die, Souji..." Yosuke said.

"Letting both of us live will eventually make the cycle breaks, Yosuke." Souji explained. "If the cycle breaks in such wrong way, the fate of this world will be the worst than having the world being consumed by darkness..."

"So... are you saying that..." Yosuke looked at the silverette.

"In that battle, my evil self will take over my body and thought, so I will try to realize the prophecy by killing you. So, it's up to you to decide whether letting me alive and unleashing a new hell on earth or killing me and letting the cycle of fate continues..." Souji said.

"I don't know..." Yosuke shook his head.

"Take your time, Yosuke. I believe in you..." Souji said, patting Yosuke's shoulder. "No matter which side I'm in, believe me that I'm still your friend, your best friend..."

Yosuke smiled, placing his hand on Souji's hand which was on his shoulder. "Thanks, partner. I'll think of it..."

"Anyway, do you know about a book with the title 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces'?" Souji asked. Yosuke frowned.

"I know... every psychological student know it because it contains philosphy knowledge..." Yosuke answered. Like Souji, he's also a psychological student but studying in Japan instead of in other country. "Why do you ask me such thing?"

"I am curious about myself..." Souji looked at the palm of his right hand. "What it means to be a hero? Can I be considered as a hero by the book's definition?"

"Yes... you're a hero..." Yosuke answered. "Because you departed from us, learned many things and will eventually return to us..."

"You understand the basic theory about the hero it seems..." Souji smiled. "But... this is not my story, not my adventure anymore..." he placed his hand on Yosuke's shoulder. "It is yours. You will be the one who will eventually return..."

"I am the one?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah..." Souji nodded. "You may face difficulty in the middle of your adventure, but I know- no, I believe in you..." he smiled. "...you are the hero who share a same face like the other heroes depicted in that book..."

"Souji..."

"By the way, congratulation for you since you become the leader. Then, I have a present for you..." then, Souji handed his sword, Tamayorihime to Yosuke. "Here, you should have it..."

"Huh?" Yosuke was surprised as Souji gave him his sword. "B-But, this is your sword!"

"Don't worry. Isn't it more convenient for you to have an enemy without his trademark weapon? I still have my spare sword, so don't think about it too much..." Souji said.

"I..." Yosuke took the sword. "I guess I have to say..." he scratched the back of his head. "...thank you..."

"Don't mention it..." Souji shrugged. "Well... that's all I guess. I think this is the last time for us to meet as friends, because the next time we meet, we're enemies..."

"I know..." Yosuke nodded.

"Take care of yourself and Yukiko too..." Souji turned to a certain direction before he jumped onto an electrical pole. "Farewell..." he vanished instantly.

Yosuke sighed as he held Tamayorihime tightly. Then, he spoke. "Ryoji, I know you've heard it all. Just get yourself out already..."

Then, Ryoji came out from the tree, with his feet hanging on the branch upside-down like a bat. "Oohh!! So I've been spotted!!"

"Geez... I wonder if you never get sick of it..." Yosuke sighed. "Just don't say any word about this thing to anyone else..." he turned before he went away. Ryoji chuckled before he jumped down to the ground.

"Hmm... I guess the whole thing is getting interesting..." Ryoji smirked. "Isn't that right, Miss Nurse?"

A woman dressed in nurse uniform came out from the back of a tree. "You're totally enjoying this, am I right?" the nurse or Izanami-in-disguise spoke. In a flash, her goddess form could be seen.

"Well... I admit it..." Ryoji shrugged. "You won't deny that you're getting interested with the whole matter, will you?"

Izanami chuckled. "Hahaha... I am rather curious about Seta Souji who is putting himself into the nest of snakes and disguising himself as a snake himself. That boy sure has some pretty guts..."

"So, if something happen, what will you do?" Ryoji asked.

"Hmm... like what people always say, don't hate the player, hate the game..."

~darkness~

Souji was sitting on the rooftop of the abandoned warehouse. He was interacting with his Shadow self.

_Ohh... I'm sure this thing is interesting..._

"Yeah, yeah..." Souji shrugged. "I'm sure this is interesting as long as you keep your mouth shuts..."

_Nah... I don't really care about earlier. I'm just curious about the thing that might happen, that's all..._

"Do whatever you like, scumbag..." Souji spoke. "Sheesh... I never expect to have you as a real me..."

_Ohoho... then, I won't hold my back to Yosuke, right?_

"Whatever... do anything you like to him. Kill him or anything else, as long as my plan works..." Souji said.

_Oh, you're getting cruel, aren't you?_

"Am I sound too cruel? It just happens that I believe in him..." Souji spoke to his Shadow self. "I'm sure that he will kill me first before you can kill him..."

_Now, you sound like a typical angsty man..._

"Shut up..." Souji grunted. "Sometimes, you're quite annoying to the point that I can't stand you..."

_See?! That's the proof that I am your other self!!_

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Souji shrugged again. "I am you, and you are me, yadda yadda yadda..."

_That's more I like it... since I am a Shadow, the true self..._

"A true self which takes everything from me..." Souji said. "But, if you're truly my other self, can you make at least one obligation with me?"

_Huh? Well... even though a Shadow isn't good to make a promise, I guess one of them won't even hurt..._

"Okay. You can attack and kill anyone you like..." Souji said. "But, I won't allow you to touch Yukiko, even just a thread of her hair."

_ Oh my... you're getting quite chivalrous even though you're now in the bad side..._

"She had suffered a lot..." Souji said. "At least, if any of us, either Yosuke or me is killed, when the cycle is still intact, she will be able to find a man who can provide her happiness..."

_Oh, really? But, won't it hurt you more?_

"What do you mean?" Souji asked.

_I am you, and you are me... I know everything about you, so don't play dumb with me. But, I guess it's right after all. I won't touch her._

"Good..." Souji sighed. "Well... I hope I can endure the days..." he closed his eyes before he reopened them, revealing a pair of glowing yellow orbs.

**"Sit back and relax. This thing will go according to your plan..."** a sinister grin formed on his lips. Then, he laughed maniacally. **"Kyahahahahahahahahahaha!!"**

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. Thanks for those who read the previous chapter and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which the title is taken from a book written by Joseph Campbell with the same title. It depicts the journeys of heroes in the world mythologies and I guess it's fine to take it in this story. Anyway, just take it easy (I was infected by Yukkuri Virus), and don't forget to read and review.

Albireo Imma


	62. Embodiment of Merciful Goddess

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 62: The Embodiment of Merciful Goddess

"Where's Yukiko? I thought she's here with you..." Yosuke asked Chie who was eating potato chips. Ryoji was there too, sitting on a couch, watching television. Yosuke came out from the entrance of their hidden hideout.

"Well... she's upstairs..." Chie gestured to the upper direction, indicating that Yukiko was upstairs. "Crying, as usual..."

"Sheesh..." Yosuke sighed. "I'm worried about her already..." then, the brunette man looked at Ryoji. "Ryoji-san, can you do something about this? She's your apprentice after all..."

Ryoji shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. Even if I can solve it, maybe I won't do that..." he looked at Ryoji with his usual smug face. "She has to deal with that problem herself..."

"You're just too harsh for her..." Chie sighed. "At least give her some encouragement..."

"You're the one who should do that..." Ryoji said plainly, looking back at the screen of the television. "Oh... so that's how to make a delicious ramen. Maybe I should test it myself..." he watched the cooking program at the television. "You two should check it out sometimes..."

"Grrr... this guy sure pisses me off sometimes..." Chie grumbled. "Even in this situation, he's still acting like nothing's wrong..."

"It can't be helped..." Yosuke sighed. "It's good to have someone who is calm with us. It helps us to feel calm too..."

"Maybe you're right..." Chie mused. "Well... talk about Yukiko, I'm starting to worry about her. Maybe I should check her out..." she stood up and walked upstairs.

"Me too..." Yosuke followed the brunette woman, leaving Ryoji alone at the living room.

Ryoji sighed as he rested his head on his hand which was put on the armrest of the couch. He put his hand on his head before he chuckled.

"Calm? Well... maybe they're wrong. I'm so happy about this matter to the point that my bones and joints may shatter into pieces..." he placed his hand on his face before he lifted it, revealing the face of Death. "This is very, very interesting..."

~darkness~

"Yukiko... can we come in?" Yukiko heard Chie's voice from the outside of the room. Yukiko who was weeping stood up and went towards the door before she opened it. As she opened the door, she tried her best to smile towards her friends even though her eyes were puffed because of constant crying and lack of sleep.

"Sorry for using your room, Chie..." Yukiko spoke apologetically as she smiled.

"Yukiko..." Chie sighed as she looked at her friend's condition. "You should have some rest. You may get sick because of it..."

"I'm alright..." Yukiko said reassuringly as she shook her head.

Yosuke frowned. "Really?" he stepped forwards before he placed his hand on Yukiko's shoulder and pushed her. Yukiko yelped as she tumbled behind and fell on her rear. Chie gave Yosuke a scowl as the man did that to Yukiko.

"What're you doing, Yosuke?" Chie asked.

"Yukiko's in a 'not-good' condition..." Yosuke said, offering Yukiko his hand and helping her to stand up. "You should get some rest after all, Yukiko..."

"T-That's..." Yukiko lowered her gaze. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me..." she shook her head.

"Go and get some sleep, Yukiko. You need it..." Yosuke said to Yukiko.

"Like I've said, I'm okay!" Yukiko raised her voice, much to Chie's surprise.

"You're not okay!" Yosuke responded. "You can't even stand on your own now and you're saying that you're okay?!"

"I'll wash my face and I'll be okay!!"

"Look, Yukiko! You look like a zombie at this rate and I want you to take a good rest! You can leave the task for guarding this town to the other Eaters!" Yosuke said to Yukiko. "If Souji's here, he'll say the same too..."

"You're not Souji!!" Yukiko protested. "Stop acting like him!!" she shouted.

Yosuke scowled as he heard what Yukiko had said. He lowered his gaze before he turned back, walking out from the room. Then, he spoke with such cold voice. "You're right, I'm not Souji. I won't bother you again, Yukiko..." he shot such a sharp glare to Yukiko with his hazel eyes, making the black-haired woman took some steps aback.

"Just stay there like a coward will do. I won't say any word to you ever again..." Yosuke continued before he walked away, leaving Yukiko and Chie at the room.

Yukiko's eyes widened as she fell to her knees. Tears came out from her eyes and flowed on her cheeks. She cried silently. "W-What have I done?"

"Yukiko..." Chie tried to comfort her crying friend before she looked at the direction of the door. "Yosuke..." she went out from the room and went towards Yosuke. "Yosuke! Don't be so harsh to her!!"

"..." Yosuke remained silent as he stopped walking and looked at his master.

"She got too much bad things..." Chie said. "And that's your way to comfort her?"

"You don't have much idea about what you're talking about, Hime-sama..." Yosuke said coldly. Chie shuddered as she heard Yosuke's cold voice. In an instant, Yosuke's hazel eyes turned yellow before they turned back into their original color.

"I..." Chie tried to speak but something was preventing her from saying any word. Yosuke sighed before he walked away to downstairs, leaving Chie alone.

"W-What was that?" Chie muttered.

Meanwhile, at the backyard, Yurie was tending her precious little bonsai. Gin was sitting on a branch of a nearby tree, puffing out smoke from his antique pipe.

"Isn't it too much for you to teach Yosuke the Serpent Eyes?" Yurie looked up at Gin. "It's just a plain copy of my red eyes, but it's rather disturbing for many people to see his eyes turn yellow at times?"

"I didn't teach him that..." Gin answered. "He stole that technique from me. But oh well, stealing is a way of learning..." he shrugged. "I even stole some techniques from my father Izanagi..."

"Haha, like teacher, like student, eh?" Yurie chuckled. "But... it seems that Yukiko is quite in trouble. It looks rather parallel with the past event, right?"

"It is..." Gin nodded. "Everything is set in the prophercy, even for that Amagi girl..."

"Hmm..." Yurie mused. "Maybe I should give her some present..."

~darkness~

Yukiko was sitting on the bed, looking at the window. She seemed gloomy because of the previous event. She couldn't help but to feel guilty because of that. She knew that Yosuke sincerely concerned about her well-being.

"What have I done...?" the woman muttered. Suddenly, the door was knocked. She stood up, thinking that was Yosuke. She went towards the door and opened it, only to find Yurie.

"Y-Yurie-san?" Yukiko stammered.

"Yukiko-chan..." Yurie smiled. "Here... let's have some walk, shall we?"

"That's..." Yukiko seemed hesitated. Yurie smiled gently as she placed her hand on Yukiko's back.

"There's no need to worry. Let's go for a walk..." Yurie said.

"Y-Yes!" Yukiko nodded. After that, both of them walked out from the house.

Meanwhile, Chie realized that both Yukiko and Yurie were going out from the house. Some minutes after their departure, she stood up from the couch and went out from the house, following both of them.

"That's weird..." she mused.

~darkness~

Both women were standing at the riverbank, looking at the surface of the water. Yurie bent down, taking a small pebble from the ground before she threw it to the river. A small splash produced by the thrown stone.

"It sure brings back some fond memories..." Yurie said, smiling. "When we were little, three of us often came here and played..."

"Three?" Yukiko gave the Satonaka a puzzled look. Yurie chuckled.

"Me, your mother, and Kagura..." Yurie spoke. "Kagura is excellent when it came about fishing. She often got many huge fishes at that time..."

"Oh..." Yukiko nodded. She knew that Kagura was Daidara's late daughter, another victim of casualty in the previous Serpent Requiem. "I wonder how she looked like..."

"She's beautiful, smart..." Yurie said. "Among three of us, she's the brightest..."

"Even compared to my mother?" Yukiko asked.

"Haha... you can say that..." Yurie laughed. "But... there's time when we were harassed by some boys, often throwing things to us when we were playing here..." she looked at the surface of the water. "One of them was my husband, Hiroshi. He's the naughtiest among them..."

"Oh, hehe..." Yukiko giggled. "And now, you ended up with him, right?"

"Haha... you're right..." Yurie nodded as she grinned. "At that time, he teamed up with his twin brother, Arashi and Shirogane-san's son, Ishida..." she looked at Yukiko who seemed puzzled by the new name. "He's Minato-kun's father. Three of them formed Inaba Trio, and they proclaimed themselves as the nightmare for any of the other kids who played at this place..."

"That's mean..." Yukiko commented.

"That's an old story though..." Yurie sighed. "That's the time when we were little. As we grew up, Hiroshi became the most dazzling human being I ever met..."

"He's your former guardian too, right?" Yukiko tilted her head.

"Yeah..." Yurie nodded. "At first, it was hard to admit it, but in the end..." she let out another sigh. "...I had to convince myself..." she looked at Yukiko's eyes with such a melancholic expression, a pair of eyes which contained the feeling of insecurities and bashfulness. "...I was in love with him..."

"I know..." Yukiko placed her hand on her own chest. "It's the same like me too..." she closed her eyes, trying to remember the first day when she met her first love, Souji. "At first, I don't know what this feeling was, but if I put it that way..." she chuckled. "...I'm just lying to myself. Finally, I had to accept that..." she reopened her eyes to look at the elder woman beside her. "...I love him..."

"That's good..." Yurie smiled. "It's very good to have someone to be loved..." she raised her gaze, looking at the cloud. "I still remember when my mother told me about love. She said that love is an ultimate gift from heaven, giving humankind some opportunity to save them." Yurie lowered her gaze. "Sometimes, the most powerful thing ever exists is not the power, the love is..."

"The feeling of love is the greatest blessing for us, humans..." Yurie continued. "It gives us enlightenment and hope..." she raised her hand as a little bird flew above them. She whistled to the bird, attracting its attention. The little bird flew towards her and landed on her finger. She gently put her other finger under its beak. "With hope, mankind can create miracle..."

"Hope, miracle..." Yukiko muttered. Then, she smiled. "Haha... if I knew about this earlier, Souji-kun won't do this..."

"Don't blame yourself, Yukiko-chan..." Yurie said reassuringly. The bird on her finger chirped before it flew away. "Ah, I forgot that I have something to tell you. Since you're an Amagi, you should know that you're also a part of Kushinada's bloodline, allowing you to have these..." she pointed to her eyes, which shifted their color from hazel into glowing red.

"T-That's... red eyes..." Yukiko said. "Chie has those too, right?"

"That's why..." Yurie chuckled. "You should have them too..."

Yukiko placed her right hand on her right eye. "If I have them, what will happen?"

"Hmm..." Yurie mused. "These eyes are the Divine Eyes, the eyes of gods, the Red Eyes..." her eyes shifted back into their original color. "They enhance your strength, power, and they can even the odd in the midst of a fierce battle..."

"To be stronger..." Yukiko muttered. "I want to be stronger..." Yukiko said, trying to look strong. "I want to bring back Souji-kun by any mean..."

"Is that so?" one of Yurie's eyebrows raised. "Have you ever heard about 'Noblesse Oblige'?" she asked Yukiko.

"With great power, comes great responsibility..." Yukiko said as she understand the meaning of the phrase about having a power will eventually give a big responsibility to her.

"I'm grateful that you know that, Yukiko-chan..." Yurie smiled. "Then, the choice is yours..."

Meanwhile, at the back of a tree, Chie was looking at both women from afar.

"What are they talking about?" Chie talked to herself.

Back to both Yukiko and Yurie, Yukiko said with such confidence. "I will do whatever it takes to be stronger, so I can save Souji-kun from the depth of darkness..."

"I see..." Yurie mused. "Well then, prepare yourself!!"

Yukiko's eyes widened as some unearthly hands emerged from the ground, binding her limbs from moving. Those hands held her tightly, preventing her from moving. Yurie walked slowly towards Yukiko before she stood in front of her.

"If you want to save Souji from the depth of darkness..." Yurie pointed her middle finger and index towards Yukiko's eyes. "You should experience true darkness in the very first place..."

"What?!"

Zaak!!

"Ahhh!!!"

Yurie pulled out both her fingers from Yukiko's eye-socket, swaying her hand to clean the blood on them. Yukiko shrieked in agony as Yurie injured both her eyes. All the hands that held her released their grip, making the woman fell to her knees.

"My eyes!!" Yukiko cried. "My eyes!!"

"Don't worry; I've put some charms around. There will be no people come here..." Yurie said, taking some steps aback before her usual housewife's attire turned into her black kimono with floral patterns. A katana magically appeared in her hand. "Now, prove your words!!"

Yurie dashed towards the already-blinded Yukiko and hit her abdomen with the blunt side of her katana. The hit sent the crippled Yukiko flying behind.

"Ergh..." Yukiko grunted. "My eyes..." she placed her hand on her face. "I can't see... it's dark..."

"Fight the darkness..." Yurie said, pointing her katana towards Yukiko. "Or die within it..."

Chie gasped as she watched the event. She tried to go towards them, but a pair of strong arms prevented her from going any further. Before she could say any word, two fingers were stuffed into her mouth, preventing her from making any noise.

"Just watch it slowly..." a whispery voice could be heard behind Chie. The woman looked behind only to see Ryoji. "This is her choice, after all..."

Tears came out from Chie's eyes.

_Yukiko..._

~darkness~

Souji was practicing for his fighting technique with his naginata, Amenonuhoko. Even though he was officially in the bad side, he had to practice in order to make a back-up plan for his foretold destiny. As he practiced, he heard footsteps, making him stopped swinging his naginata around and looked at the person who came. He let out a sigh of relief as the man wasn't Takaya.

"You're a practice-nut, aren't you?" the newcomer, Sake said. He spoke to the eighth adjutant of Orochi, Betrayal casually. "That's good, kid..."

"Sloth..." Souji looked at the man, Sake. Even though he seemed pretty normal compared to Takaya and Charles, he had to be wary of him. "Are you trying to put yourself in my way?"

"Huh?" Sake frowned. "Of course not..." he shrugged. "I'm just taking a look at you, that's all..."

"Hmph!!" Souji let out a grunt as he spun his naginata around to resume his routine.

"Well... the thing that I can say is..." Sake smiled. "Good luck with your plan..."

Souji's eyes widened as Sake said that. Before Sake could turn behind, Souji pointed his naginata at his throat and spoke to him with such intimidating manner. "What do you mean by 'plan'?"

"Hmm?" Sake tilted his head, pulling out a stupid face. "Well... isn't it obvious? For me at least..." he pushed the blade aside gently before he leaned towards Souji to whisper to his ear. "You're playing a dangerous game, Seta Souji. This is a nest of deadly snakes, not worms..."

"Are you threatening me?" Souji asked. He prepared himself if something wrong happened.

"Of course not..." Sake shrugged again. "That's your matter, not mine..." he chuckled. "But... seeing you reminds me of myself..."

"What do you mean?" Souji asked, lowering his naginata.

"Same like you, I was once the member of Serpent Eaters. After I learned Totsukahebi-ryuu Sword Technique, I was overpowered by my Shadow side. Because of that, Orochi tried to take me into his side, making me his adjutant..." he went towards the wall and rested himself on it.

"Fearing that I would likely end up killing all members of Eaters, I thought of joining Serpent Tail and became the adjutant of Sloth, with the purpose of usurping the Serpent Tail from within. I did, but it went horribly wrong..." Sake smiled. "My Shadow side dominated my whole body before merging itself into my own soul. As a result, I tasted the greater evil within me..."

"So... you're the same like me..." Souji said.

"Pretty much. After that, I felt the temptation of the evilness was irresistible..." Sake spoke. "I began to lose my sanity, and I did what I initially hated the most..." he closed his eyes. "I killed many of my friends, including Kagura..."

"..." Souji remained silent.

"So, the thing is..." Sake focused his eyes onto Souji's. "Get your ass out from this hell immediately..."

"Why?" Souji asked.

"Your soul still can be saved..." Sake answered. "Unlike mine. My soul is beyond salvation..."

Souji shook his head. "All people have their own second chance..."

"I wish that's true..." Sake replied. "But compared to you who only had killed dozens of innocent people, I killed millions of them..."

"Sake..."

"My soul is beyond salvation..." Sake repeated. "But, yours is still..."

"..." Souji couldn't say anything.

"The Shadow is more dangerous than you ever thought..." Sake continued before he left Souji alone.

_He's right... The Shadow is more dangerous than you ever thought..._

"..." Souji remained silent before he closed his eyes.

"Whatever..."

~darkness~

Amaterasu sat on a stone platform in the dark cave. She swayed her hand, making some nearby candles lighted up by themselves. She sighed.

"Amagi Yukiko..." Amaterasu muttered. Her black eyes turned into crimson red.

"I know you can do it, because you are the embodiment of a merciful goddess..."

~darkness~

Hi, it's me, Albire Imma. Sorry for the late update. I was busy for my entrance into college. Anyway, check my profile to see something new. For this chapter, I will put an interesting info about Red Eyes.

Info: In this story, Red Eyes (glowing) is a symbol of divinity since they're owned by gods/goddesses. It is depicted that all gods/goddesses have the eyes and they are divided into some groups.

The Eyes of Domination

Owner: Izanami, Satonaka Chie, Satonaka Yurie, Susano-O

If these eyes are activated, it immediately invokes the charisma within its wielders, to the point that the wielders are able to rule a country. Besides of charisma ascending, strength and power also escalate.

The Eyes of Mercy

Owner: Amaterasu, Amagi Yukiko, Amagi Yuriko, Himiko

Compared to the Eyes of Domination, it gives magical boost within its wielders. If the eyes are activated, the people around its wielders will get energy boost and will have their wounds healed. Apart of that, this kind of eyes is able to induce illusion.

The Eyes of Moon/Reflection

Owner: Tsukuyomi

The most dangerous Red Eyes. Apart of being able to induce illusion, it also can manipulate people's thought and read one's mind. It is also able to induce lunacy/madness into other people. The wielders also can copy other people's thought, making them able to summon a same Persona as the other person can.

That's all, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	63. I Want to Believe

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 63: I Want to Believe

Tsukuyomi looked at the crescent moon from his window before he sighed. He swayed his hand before curtain fell, making the moon vanished. He turned his attention towards the red-haired woman who was playing with some butterflies and birds in her private flower garden.

"Rise…" Tsukuyomi spoke. "Am I pitiful?"

"Huh?" Rise tilted her head as she looked at the man in black leather suit. A butterfly perched on her finger as a little bird was sitting on her head. "What do you mean?"

"I…" Tsukuyomi placed his hand on his chest. "No matter how many times I spilt the blood of people I killed, no matter how hard I tried to fill the emptiness within me…" he lifted his hand from his chest before he clenched it. "It remained as the same as before… nothing changed within me no matter how hard I tried to do such thing…" he went towards Rise and touched her cheek tenderly. "Rise, tell me. Do you feel pity on me? Am I that pitiful?"

Gently, Rise pushed Tsukuyomi's hand aside before she put the flower on the side of Tsukuyomi's head. Then, she turned behind. "I'm not…"

"I see…" Tsukuyomi lowered his gaze.

"And you're not…" Rise added. "I don't feel pity on you, and you're not pitiful…" she smiled. "You just need… enlightenment…"

"Enlightenment?" Tsukuyomi seemed confused.

"Tsukuyomi, why did you stay in darkness in the very first place instead of staying with your sister Amaterasu? Why didn't you choose to stay with her?" Rise asked. Tsukuyomi seemed to be rather surprised at first before he cleared his throat as he spoke.

"I can't do that…" Tsukuyomi replied. "I had done such a terrible thing upon her. It was the most terrible thing I had committed, and I regretted for doing it. When I looked at her, only one thing I could feel; hatred, but not to her, it's the hatred to me…" Tsukuyomi took the flower from his hair and gently caressing it. "I hate myself because of the sins I had done upon her… and the sins were spawned by my fault, my own fault…"

"Why?" Rise asked.

"I envied her…" Tsukuyomi answered. "My father Izanagi gave her the power of sun, the force of life. The ray of happiness radiated from her warmth, even my father trusted her to sit on his throne and being bathed with love as a price of continuously giving humanity hope. But…" the god placed his hand on his chest. "I was given the power of moon, the cold, lifeless force that gives nothing but falseness and deceit by its reflection on the surface of water. My ray instilled nothing but fear upon the hearts of humankinds, because of my nature to be surrounded by nothing but darkness…"

"That's not true…" Rise shook her head.

Tsukuyomi frowned. "What make you think such thing, Rise?"

"Because… even in darkness, you're always being surrounded by countless little stars. Little as they may be, the light they have given is enough to make your light radiates even more…" Rise placed her hand on Tsukuyomi's hand which was on his chest. "The stars are hope. No matter how small the light those stars radiate, they give the moon a hope to shine in the dark sky…"

"Is that so?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yes…" Rise nodded. "No matter how small they appear to be, they can bring forth miracle…"

"I see…" the deity of moon mused. "So, that's how human being sees the things. It seems that I, a god as myself, cannot fully understand it…"

"It's not you can't fully understand it, Tsukuyomi…" Rise spoke to Tsukuyomi gently. "You're just… afraid…"

"Afraid?" Tsukuyomi frowned.

"Kujikawa-sama! Here's the thing you wanted!" suddenly, a turquoise-haired girl, Sui came into the scene, holding two bottles of fresh milk. Rise smiled as she looked at the approaching girl before she turned back to Tsukuyomi.

"You know yourself better, right?" Rise said before she went to Sui. Tsukuyomi just sighed before he looked at a butterfly which flew around him.

"Am I afraid?" Tsukuyomi muttered. "I, an ancient god of moon, am afraid?" he opened his palm before the butterfly which flew around him perched on his palm. Suddenly, the wings of the insect were caught on fire, perished in the process.

"Why?" he clenched the dust of the dead insect on his hand. "Why I should feel this kind of feeling, a humanly feeling?" he took a glance at Rise and Sui who were playing with the butterflies while drinking milk.

"Kujikawa Rise…" his vision was focused on the former idol. "You are scary…"

~darkness~

"Suzuka Gongen!"

Yurie summoned her Persona, Suzuka Gongen of the Chariot Arcana. An ethereal woman warrior clad in white suit and armed with two-tipped shiny blue naginata appeared above the woman. Suzuka Gongen swung her majestic weapon onto the crippled Yukiko, whose eyes were blinded by Yurie. The blind Yukiko tried to move, but having no sight made her unable to dodge the attack which hit her shoulder. The attack managed to bring Yukiko down to earth for quite some times.

"Aaakk!" Yukiko cried in pain as she fell to the ground again. Due to Yurie's previous hits, including the one that hit the shoulder, Yukiko's clothes were torn apart, revealing some hidden parts of her body. Her fan was also badly damaged by Yurie's attacks.

"Pathetic…" Yurie walked towards Yukiko before she grabbed her collar which was almost damaged before she pulled her to her face. "Are you thinking of saving Seta-kun with such mediocre-leveled power? You should be ashamed for thinking such thing, Amagi Yukiko…" after she said that, she released her collar before she grabbed her head and slammed her face on the ground.

"Ergh!" Yukiko grunted. The wounds she had received from Yurie were too much for her to heal and she needed some times to recover. Without her sight, she couldn't heal her wounds perfectly, even if she had enough time to recover.

"Like I've said before, you should get prepared to face the true darkness…" Yurie said before she raised her katana. "But, you have failed my expectation, my dear…" the sword radiated some kind of odd-colored light before the temperature dropped. "I will create an icy tomb for you, so prepare yourself…"

"Y-Yurie-san…" Yukiko squeaked as she tried to reach Yurie. She tried to get up by grabbing Yurie's clothes. "I-I won't give up…"

Without being noticed by Yukiko, a triumphant smile was formed on Yurie's lips.

Meanwhile, Chie who was being held by Ryoji couldn't do anything as she looked at her best friend being mercilessly beaten by her own mother. She bit Ryoji's two fingers which were inside her mouth (which were used to keep her silent) until it bled.

"Yyukkiko…" Chie whimpered with muffled sound because of the fingers inside her mouth.

Ryoji was looking at the battle scene as he held the brunette woman with a blank expression, the one that he rarely expressed.

"The answer is within you, Yukiko…" Ryoji muttered.

~darkness~

Amaterasu was standing in the middle of many candles in a dark cave. She raised her hands, making the candles around her lit up. She let out a sigh before she opened her palm and a fiery orb formed on it.

"Amagi Yukiko…" Amaterasu muttered. "Sometimes, the sight can't help you to see the unseen…" she swayed her hand around, making a ring of fire around her. "You need to experience the true darkness…"

"Is that so?"

Amaterasu was startled by the new voice. She turned behind and saw an old man with ruffled long hair in yellow raincoat. He was holding an old umbrella.

"Brother…" the goddess of the sun looked at the man, Gin, who was also the god of the tempest, Susano-O. "How could you enter my realm? No one is able to enter this place without my consent, even gods…"

Gin laughed before he walked towards the woman and put his hand on her head. "I am the Trickster, what can you expect? Entering this kind of place is just an easy thing to do…"

"I see…" Amaterasu mused. "So… what is your attention, brother?"

Gin took his glasses off, revealing a pair of red shining eyes. "It's about the girl…"

"Yukiko?" Amaterasu asked.

"I can sense it…" Gin said. "The girl's future is something that hard to be predicted, even by us, gods…"

"I know…" Amaterasu nodded. "But eventually, the time will come for us to experience it…"

Gin chuckled before he sat on a boulder. "The previous heiress seems to be pretty harsh to her. She even blinds her, permanently of course…"

Amaterasu mused. "It's not a strange thing, brother…" she turned to the candles. "But, it's quite unusual for someone who is not the actual inheritor of the Royal Blood to undergo such process of blindness…"

"Quite true, Amaterasu, quite true…" Gin nodded. "But, it's almost the same as her mother, isn't it?"

"I won't deny it, brother…" Amaterasu replied, seemingly amused by the subject of their discussion. "It's the same like us, brother. In order to get these eyes…" she pointed to her eyes. "…our ability to see should be stopped…"

"That's right, Amaterasu…" Gin said. "But I'm afraid that she may eventually get the same eyes like your other brother, Tsukuyomi…" he put his glasses back on its place. "Because of the darkness he experienced due to his blindness, he received the cruelest thing a god ever possesses, the eyes of reflection…"

"The eyes of moon, to be exact…" Amaterasu added. "Unlike ours, his red eyes are the tainted ones, the eyes of condemned. He received the eyes because of his fear of darkness. After receiving those eyes, his fear turned into fondness into it, and eventually…" the goddess of the sun let out a sigh. "…he became the one who illuminated the false light of moon…"

"I'm well-aware of it…" Gin nodded. "If Yukiko is trying to get her sight back because of her fear towards darkness, she will end up with those awful things with her…"

Amaterasu smiled. "Brother, at least you should have faith in her…"

"You look rather confident that she will achieve the same level as us, Amaterasu…" Gin looked at his sister.

Amaterasu smiled before a ring of fire was formed on the ground where she was standing on. Gin was startled by the appearance of the fire ring as he gave his sister a puzzled look.

"I have faith in her, brother…"

~darkness~

"I won't give up!" Yukiko yelled before she summoned her Persona, Amaterasu of the Priestess Arcana. After several hours of severe beatings by Yurie, she finally managed to sense where Yurie was standing at. Although it was hard for her to pinpoint her actual position, liability of seeing with her eyes seemed to help her to sense the thing he couldn't sense with his sight. Mustering her remaining strength, she forced her Persona to come out by clutching her head. "Amaterasu!"

The majestic Persona, the faceless ethereal figure appeared above Yukiko before she spun and fired some kind of fire blast towards Yurie.

Yurie was shocked by the attack and she had to block the fire blast with her katana. She spun the weapon and managed to extinguish the upcoming flame.

"Gaaaahhhh!"

Yurie's eyes widened in shock as Yukiko charged forwards and hit Yurie by slamming her own body to her. Both of them were sprawled on the ground. Yukiko managed to grap Yurie's hand that was holding the katana.

"I won't give up…" Yukiko muttered.

Yurie smiled before she used her other hand to caress Yukiko's face. "Sweetie…" she spoke. "Are you afraid of darkness?"

Yukiko who had her eyes closed couldn't see Yurie's smirk. She showed her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I'm quite sure that you can hear it perfectly, my dear…" Yurie said. "I only removed your sight, not your hearing…"

After a long pause, Yukiko replied. "I am afraid of it…" she released Yurie's hand after making sure that she wouldn't do any attack. "But… I know that Souji-kun also had undergone the same darkness as this, or even worse than this…" she stood up slowly, due to the injuries she received. "So, I should be ashamed to myself if I have to back down when Souji-kun also faced this kind of situation before…"

"Hmm… well-answered, my dear…" Yurie nodded. "But, do you wish to regain your sight back?"

"Is that even possible?" Yukiko asked, mildly surprised.

"Well, to regain your sight back, you should have enough determination for having it back. With it, you will be bestowed with the Divine Eyes, just like me and Chie…" Yurie answered.

"B-But… Chie didn't get blind when she got her red eyes…" Yukiko said.

"Because…" Yurie placed her hands on Yukiko's shoulder before she put her forehead on Yukiko's. "She already underwent that process before… and you might be able to know it, sweetie…"

"Huh?" Yukiko was confused before she felt something odd inside her head. Then, she seemed to remember something as Yurie's forehead touched hers.

"Can you see it, Yukiko?"

Yes, Chie got her eyes blinded once…

~darkness~

It was a rainy day when the young Yukiko was crying and holding an injured puppy. The young Chie was standing weakly with her back faced Yukiko. Some street punks left them after some beatings. After those punks left, Yukiko looked at Chie.

"C-Chie…" Yukiko said, sniffled. "Are you okay?"

"Yukiko…" Chie wobbled before she fell on her knees. "I-I can't see…" she placed her palm on her face. "I-It's dark…"

"Chie!" Yukiko put the puppy on the ground and went towards her friend. "Y-You can't see? D-Don't tell me you're…"

Chie turned her face to Yukiko, much to Yukiko's surprise. Chie's eyes were closed with blood trails under them. The trails looked like tears, with being red in color as the difference. Yukiko gasped by looking at Chie's condition.

"Chie…" Yukiko sobbed as she placed her hand on Chie's face. "I-I'm sorry…"

Chie put her hand on Yukiko's hand which was touching her face. "That's okay…" she smiled despite the pain she felt. "That puppy… is she okay?"

Yukiko nodded weakly, even though she knew that Chie wouldn't see it. "She's fine. B-But you… you're…"

"Don't worry…" unexpectedly, Chie hugged her friend. "I'm happy if you're alright, Yukiko…" she stroked the back of Yukiko's head tenderly.

"Chie…"

"Yukiko…" Chie said. "It's dark… I'm afraid of it…"

"I'm here with you, Chie…" Yukiko said.

"I know…" Chie nodded. "Thank you, Yukiko…" Chie rested her head on Yukiko's shoulder. Yukiko tightened her hug, so did Chie. "Please… hold me for a little longer…"

~darkness~

"So, that's why…" Yurie said. "After undergoing some surgeries, Chie's sight returned. I bet you still remember it, right?"

"I remember it…" Yukiko nodded.

"Hmm… actually, the moment her eyes were blinded, her true eyes were unlocked and awakened, but remained dormant until today. Eyes of Domination, the eyes of leaders,

The eyes of Kushinada…"

"The eyes… of Kushinada?" Yukiko asked.

Yurie raised her hands before some black butterflies suddenly appeared around Yukiko. Then, Yukiko's damaged clothes were shifted into red-colored kimono with the fire patterns on it. The injuries she received also vanished, along with the pain she obtained from those injuries.

"W-What is this?" Yukiko was surprised by the sudden change.

"Congratulation, Amagi Yukiko…" Yurie congratulated the young woman. "From now on, you are one of the worthy Kushinadas, the one of those who possesses the Divine Eyes…" Yurie put her hand on Yukiko's blinded eyes.

As Yurie removed her hand from Yukiko's eyes, Yukiko slowly opened her eyes to reveal a pair of shining red orbs, the ones that resembled Yurie's. The only difference was that those eyes radiated much calmer ray compared to Yurie's eyes of domination.

"I can see…" Yukiko spoke.

"From the light of your eyes, you radiate mercy…" Yurie said, smiling. "They shine like the sun, providing the life some nourishment and passion…"

"I…" Yukiko smiled as well. "I… I will work my best!"

As she said that, exhaustion began to take over her body as she fell on her knees. "Guu!" Then, the color of her eyes shifted back into their original color, which was in deep black. "I'm tired…"

"Well… that's what I've expected, sweetie…" Yurie patted Yukiko's head. "Let's go home…" after that, she turned her attention to the place where Chie and Ryoji were hiding. "Chie, you should get out too…"

"Oh my…" Ryoji smirked. "We've been found out, Hime-sama…" he pulled his fingers out from Chie's mouth. "It hurts, ya know?" she shook his hand which had bloody bite mark on his two fingers.

"Uu~" Chie whimpered before she went out from her hiding. "M-Mom! You're… you're… waaahhh!"

"C-Chie?" Yukiko was surprised by her best friend's sudden appearance. "W-Wait? You're…"

"Oh my…" Yurie scratched the back of her head. "I think I was overdoing it…"

~darkness~

"So, that's the conclusion…" Yukiko explained to Chie, Ryoji (who explicitly knew all along, but was just listening for self-amusement) and Yosuke (who happened to tag along) about the things that happened. Then, she bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry for making you all worry…"

"…Err…" Yosuke was the one who first reacted. "That's… well, it's quite reckless… so, don't do it again, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Yosuke-kun…" Yukiko bowed to the brunette man.

"Ahem… Ojou-chan, that's quite bold of you…" Ryoji commented. "But it's pretty risky and there might be a slightest chance for you to get murdered by Yurie-san. So what I want to tell you is…" the man stood up and went towards his apprentice before he bonked her head with his knuckle.

"Uwaa!" Yukiko yelped.

"Don't be reckless again, do you hear that?" Ryoji said, still with his wide grin to Yukiko.

"Uu~" the woman put her hand on the place where her master knocked her. "I-I'm sorry, Ryoji-kun…"

"Hey! How about me?" Chie asked as she hastily stood up. "No apology?"

"Oh, yeah…" Yukiko looked at her best friend before she went towards her and unexpectedly hugged her, much to Chie's surprise.

"Eehh?" that's the only thing Chie could say as she displayed her awestruck expression when she was hugged by Yukiko.

"I'm sorry…" Yukiko spoke chokingly. "I was getting selfish to the point that I couldn't see anything else except myself…" tears came out from her eyes. "I forgot that you too…" she sniffed. "…had undergone something worst than mine…" she used her finger to wipe the tears. "I should be ashamed on myself…"

"Yukiko…" Chie looked at her best friend sympathetically before she smiled. She caressed Yukiko's cheek tenderly. "Dummy…"

Ryoji's usual grin turned into a silly wide smile before he turned to Yurie. "I think these healthy youngsters should get over with their problems, aren't they?"

"Ooh… you're right, Ryoji-kun…" Yurie smiled mischievously. "I think it's good to leave them for now, isn't it?"

As for that, two magnificent bastards went out from the living room.

"Umm…" Yukiko released her hug before she looked at Yosuke. "Well… I just want to tell you…" she shifted her gaze to another direction, blushing at the same time. "…I'm sorry for what I've said to you yesterday… I mean…" she looked at Yosuke with teary eyes, "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't say that horrible thing to you! Please forgive me!"

Chie was flabbergasted by Yukiko's unusual breakdown (which was a hilarious one) as Yosuke's mouth was wide-opened.

"Well…" Yosuke rubbed the back of his head. "I think… I should apologize about yesterday too. I shouldn't try to act like Souji…" he looked at another direction with a sorrowful expression. "I'm not him; I'm not Souji…" he shifted his gaze on his palms. "I'm just Yosuke, a pathetic Yosuke…"

"No…" then, Chie interjected. "You're not Yosuke anymore…" she smiled. "Not a pathetic one, at least…"

"Huh?" Yosuke frowned.

"Yosuke-kun…" Yukiko spoke as she wiped her own tears. "You've changed into this…" she pointed her finger to Yosuke. "You've changed from a pathetic Yosuke into this…" she went towards Yosuke and put the finger on his chest. "…a mature one, I guess…"

"A mature one?" Yosuke frowned.

"You've grown up from a child into an adult, Yosuke-kun, and I'm happy for you…" Yukiko said happily.

Unexpectedly, Yukiko kissed Yosuke's cheek, much to the latter's surprise, and for Chie's surprise too.

"!" Yosuke's face reddened as the thing happened.

"It's a small gift for a grown-up child! Yukiko said cheerfully. "Tee hee!" then, she left the living room, leaving both Yosuke and Chie.

Yosuke placed his hand on his cheek which was kissed by Yukiko. "Did she just… kiss me?" he muttered.

"Yosuke…"

"Eehhh! Chie, what's with that face? Ergh? What's with those red eyes? And what's with that freaking aura?"

"Die, you pervert!"

"Buaaahhh!"

And the punishment was left for reader's imagination.

Meanwhile, at the upstairs, Yukiko was standing in front of window, looking outside. She had her refreshed smile on her lips.

_Souji-kun… I'm sorry for not realizing it earlier…_

She put her hand on her chest.

_But don't worry… I understand it now, what it means to be strengthened…_

She closed her eyes before she reopened them, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes.

_To conquer the inner darkness is not from the physical strength alone, and I've figured out that you know it as well, don't you?_

She looked up to the sky to see the clouds on the sky.

_The important thing to conquer the inner darkness is by believing in ourselves… and the others as well…_

A small bird flew towards Yukiko and perched on her head.

_I will save you, Souji-kun. Just wait a little longer, okay?_

~darkness~

Souji looked at the sky only to see the clouds on it. He sighed before he looked at his helmet which was put on the table.

_Is it necessary for me to wear this mask any longer?_

He smiled, and the smile was a sad one. He took the mask and put it on him. As he wore the mask, his eyes gave out yellow light.

**"Let's play, shall we?"**

~darkness~

Hello! It's me, Albireo! It's been a while since I updated this story. I am busy with my new life as a college student and I still have trouble adjusting myself with my new environment. But don't worry, I'll try my best to make this story updated, and here it is! Please continue to support this story and the last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	64. Lullaby of Darkness

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 64: Lullaby of Darkness

It was raining that night, and Naoto couldn't sleep at all. She had fully-recovered from her injuries, and she was in the good shape to do other things. Of course, she still needed her time to make her movement not sloppy like the time before she was seriously injured.

She looked at her revolver. She hadn't cleaned the weapon for a while and it looked like it was filled with the oily reeks and stains. She sighed before she took it.

_Remember to frequently check on your weapon, or you'll end up sorry in a battle with a ferocious foe…_

The voice of her mentor, Minato echoed in her mind. She sighed again before she began to open the parts of her revolver. She started cleaning it as she separated the tiny parts of the weapon.

"Minato-san is… my brother…" then, Naoto muttered. She stopped cleaning her revolver before she put it back on the table. She sniffled as she cried.

"Why should I feel sad?" she muttered again. "I should feel angry to him for abandoning me…"

"Hello, is that you, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto raised her gaze as she heard that familiar voice. She hastily wiped her tears and went towards the door. She opened the door, only to see a brunette woman in pink dress and she was holding a bento wrapped in pink cloth. It's not hard to remember that the woman who that associated with this kind of pink stuff was Takeba Yukari.

"Good evening, Yukari-san. It's good to see you…" Naoto said, smiling and trying to cover her previous expression.

"I've brought you some snacks, if you don't mind…" Yukari said, showing the bento to the female detective.

"That would be lovely, Yukari-san…" Naoto smiled. Somehow, Naoto's smile reminded Yukari of Minato's simple yet sincere smile, which was able to make Yukari blushed. "Umm… are you okay, Yukari-san? You're blushing…"

"I-It's nothing! I-I'm just… happy for you…" Yukari hastily replied. "You seem to like my food, and I'm happy for that…"

Naoto chuckled as Yukari said that. As an experienced detective, she knew that Yukari was lying to her. She knew that Yukari loved her brother, Minato. Naoto didn't know much about their story, but it seemed that anyone who had associated with her brother seemed to have some kind of unusual yet interesting affection towards him.

"I see…" Naoto said. "Well… please don't just stand outside, Yukari-san. Let's go inside, shall we?"

~darkness~

"Well… there's nothing better than a cup of tea, isn't that right?" Naoto said as she sipped her tea.

"Yeah…" Yukari nodded after she took a sip on her cup of tea. "It tastes wonderful…"

Naoto cleared her throat before she spoke. "We got this kind of tea from our private tea orchard back at our main family settlement at Kyoto. Well… I just realized that our family is enormous to the point that I should realize that I have many cousins and half-siblings…"

"Half-siblings?" Yukari frowned.

"That's a trivial issue, though. My late father was quite a charmer to the point that he had slept with some of his distant relatives…" Naoto said, lowering her gaze. "Well, I can't blame him much since most of my half-siblings are older than me, so I think that it happened before my father married my mother…"

"Yeah, unmarried man has that kind of 'weird' tendency, right?" Yukari nodded, agreeing with what Naoto had said.

"But I know… my father was a great man…" she smiled. "Everyone has bad habit, and that one was for my father. My grandfather had said to me that my mother liked to collect many weird things in her closet before she was married with my father…" she said that as she chuckled. "And she's my father's cousin, you know?"

"Now to think about it, sometimes… Minato-kun also has some bad habits…" Yukari said, gaining Naoto's curiosity. "He doesn't like sharing his problems with his friends and… he's also quite a charmer…"

"Ohh… that's not surprising…" Naoto commented.

"At least he hasn't slept with anyone yet…" Yukari continued. Then, she realized what she was saying. "Oh my! I mean… I shouldn't say that thing to you… I'm sorry…" she lowered her gaze.

"That's okay, Yukari-san…" Naoto smiled. "It makes me happy too…" then, her expression turned sorrowful. "All these years without him, the years of his 'death'…" she tried to not cry but failed to do so as her eyes turned glassy. "To know something about him makes me feel better…"

"Naoto-kun, do you feel angry to him?" Yukari asked.

"Part of me, yes…" Naoto nodded. "He left me without any word, breaking our promise. But I can understand that…" she smiled as she dried her tears. "He did that for my sake…"

Yukari sighed. "Sigh… that guy, he never thinks about himself at all…"

~darkness~

"So, how is it?" Officer Kurosawa asked Akihiko. Both of them were standing in front of a door of a prison chamber, a room where the member of Serpent Tail, Vineyard was put into custody. "Got anything?"

"No luck at all…" the white-haired police officer shook his head. "She even refuses to touch anything we give to her. I'm afraid she'll get sick before we can get anything out from her…"

"That's bad…" Kurosawa sighed heavily. "If it continues, the fact that we had caught one of our enemies would be meaningless. Have you searched for any advice from the other members?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to solve many things if I go to Ryoji, since he's an equivalent of the Riddler of the Batman, and I don't want to ask Yosuke since he's already busy with many stuff…" the police officer replied. "So, there's nothing I can do for that…"

"That's a total headache…" the elderly one sighed again. "Well, don't make yourself discouraged by this failure, Sanada-kun. I'm sure there's a way for it…" Kurosawa patted Akihiko's shoulder before he left. Then, a green-haired nurse, Fuuka came.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" Fuuka asked.

"It's nothing…" Akihiko shrugged. "Just having problem with our prisoner…"

"Prisoner?" then, Fuuka looked at the door. "Vineyard?"

"Yes, she refuses to corporate with us, the Eaters. Well, it's not that surprising since she's a former assassin; she was trained to hide anything from the others, including the information about the one who hired her…" Akihiko explained. "But, if it continues, she'll end up dying since she doesn't touch the food we give to her…"

"…" Fuuka looked at the door before she spoke. "May I see her?"

"Eh?" Akihiko frowned. "Fuuka, even though her power had been stripped from her, she's still proven lethal for us. If you're not careful enough, you'll end up sorry for entering into her cell…" Akihiko said.

"But… I had assisted you guys when you caught her. At least…" the green-haired nurse lowered her gaze. "…let me see her, eyes-to-eyes…"

The white-haired police officer was silent for a while before he responded. "I see. But, if something funny happens, get yourself behind me…" he took out his revolver. "I'll subdue her by force…"

"Thank you, senpai…" Fuuka smiled. Akihiko nodded before he opened the door and both of them entered the chamber. They went towards the single cell inside the chamber, the place where their prisoner, Vineyard was located.

"Cool, please…" Akihiko said. "I bring no intention to interrogate you today. It's just this lady wants to see you…" he gestured to Fuuka.

"You…" the woman in the cell, Vineyard stared at the nurse. "You're the one who blocked by telepathy with the others at that time, right?" her voice seemed weak because of malnutrition.

"Vineyard-san…" Fuuka said. She went closer to the cell. "Are you alright?"

"Fuuka, don't go too closer. This bitch is dangerous…" Akihiko reminded as he reloaded his revolver.

"Don't show your pity to me, human…" Vineyard hissed. "You're nothing but a clump of dirt in the eyes of Orochi-sama…"

Fuuka didn't show any sign of irritation by Vineyard's words. She looked at the food that was untouched.

"At least you should eat it…" Fuuka gestured to the food. Her face was too close to the bars of the cell. Then, she reached her hand to the food by letting her hand passed between the bars. "Here, maybe I can do something about this…"

"Shut up!"

Zap!

In an instant, Fuuka was nowhere in front of the cell. Instead, she was held by Akihiko in his arms, tightly and securely. It seemed that his arm was bleeding by Vineyard's sudden attack. Fuuka was confused at first and then blushed as she realized where she was.

"I think it's the time for you to sleep, Vineyard…" Akihiko said, ignoring his bleeding arm before he shot at the prisoner. Before Fuuka could voice out any protest, Vineyard fell limply onto the cold floor.

"S-Senpai, did you just…"

"Relax, I'm just using tranquilizer to her…" Akihiko spoke. "She's just sleeping. She'll wake up after a while…" his hand was around Fuuka. "Forget that, are you alright?"

"I-I…" Fuuka tried to find any word. "I'm alright! B-But, your arm…"

"It's just a scratch, Fuuka. She used a thread of her hair to be used as a wire. If she's strong enough, she might have severed my hand, but luckily she's out of energy for now…" Akihiko explained before he realized what he had done. His other arm was around Fuuka's shoulders, and he hastily let the woman go. "Umm… I'm sorry…" he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry…" Fuuka said apologetically to Akihiko. "I'm being a trouble to you, senpai…" she said guiltily.

"As long as you safe, it doesn't matter anyway…" Akihiko said before letting out a sigh.

Before both of them went out, Fuuka took a glance to the sleeping Vineyard.

"Vineyard…"

~darkness~

"Remember, since you have two different weapons for dual user, you have to determine which one is for the right and for the left…" Ryoji reminded Yosuke as he had a duel with him. He was wielding a silver long sword in his hand as Yosuke held a kunai in his right hand and Tamayorihime in his left hand.

"That's easy to say, not do!" Yosuke protested. "It's just the same as difficult for both hands!" he moaned.

"Then, try to use the one that you usually used for the kunai, it may work…" Ryoji suggested. "Use the left hand for the sword and the right hand for the kunai. The kunai will work for attacking and the sword maybe useful for defense and secondary source for offense…" he suggested.

"Hmm… I can understand that…" Yosuke mused. "But… I never thought it will happen anyway. It feels like a déjà vu…" he remembered the time when the first time they dealt with the weapons at Junes, which ended up with both him and Souji being sent to the police.

Well, he tried to forget that embarrassing thing.

"Put that aside…" Ryoji unsummoned his silver sword and looked at Yosuke. "What's up with that palm mark on your face? It looks… classic?"

"Grr…" Yosuke grunted. "Just another way of punishment from our tyrant princess, Satonaka 'Tyrant' Chie…" he grumbled. "Really, I don't really know why she likes to punish me? It's like, with great power, come great abusing…"

"I can see that, hehe…" Ryoji smirked. "That makes her wonderful, isn't her?"

"Wha? Wha-What're you saying? Are you trying to tease me?" Yosuke exclaimed.

"It's obvious, right?" Ryoji's smirk became wider and wider. "Our princess is a Tsundere one, isn't she? Tsuntsun in one time and Deredere in the other time, isn't that wonderful?"

"S-Shut up!" Yosuke grunted, flustered.

"And there comes the knight in shiny armor, and that knight is you…" Ryoji continued his teasing.

"H-Hey! There's no way I can like her! Sh-She's just a big eater who often victimizes my wallet! And now, with her power of absolute authority, she's using it abusively! There's no way I can like that kind of monster!"

"Monster?"

"Uh oh… your fate is sealed, pitiful one…" Ryoji said as he looked at the direction of the door, where a certain brunette woman was standing. She was showing an expression that you could see in an ancient drawing of an oni, completed with the special effect of lightning and thunder behind her. "Well… you're screwed, Yosuke…" then, he vanished.

"Wha?" Yosuke turned his attention to the door, and gaped as he saw his worst nightmare. He shrunk considerably before he squeaked. "Have mercy, please?"

"Am I a monster?" the woman, Chie asked with a serene smile, but it looked nightmarish with the image of thundering cloud behind her.

Then, Yosuke considered getting enough ice for his nads tonight.

~darkness~

Dojima was standing in front of a house before he reached to push the bell. He was in front of his daughter's teacher's house. Since Inaba wasn't quite safe for the time being, he allowed his daughter to stay with her teacher.

"Ahh, coming!" Dojima heard a woman's voice before the door was opened. He saw a brunette woman in pink dress. "Ah, what a mild surprise. Welcome, Dojima-san…" she smiled as she welcomed him into her house.

"Thank you…" he looked around to see a familiar face.

"About Nanako-chan, she's in the living room, playing with her mates…" the teacher, Chitose said helpfully to the detective. "Don't worry; she'll be fine with me…"

"I know…" Dojima nodded. "I should thank you for that…" he said thankfully.

"Ah, Dad!" suddenly, a brunette girl came into view, along with her other friends. "Welcome, welcome!"

"Nanako…" Dojima smiled happily. "Thank goodness you're doing alright." Dojima went towards his daughter and patted her head. The girl enjoyed the pat as her other peers were smiling as well.

"Dad, we're doing many things! We have fun!" Nanako said cheerfully with her wide smile, one of the ingredients of Dojima's happiness.

"That's good to hear…" Dojima said. "Chitose-san, if you don't mind, can we talk?"

Some moments later…

"Oh, I heard that the school will hold the festival despite the current condition. I hope you people will be careful if you decide to go to that festival…" Dojima said as he sipped the coffee. "It tastes wonderful, Chitose-san…"

"Ahh…" the teacher blushed slightly by Dojima's compliment. "It's been a while since someone had commented about my brewed coffee…"

"You brew it?" Dojima asked, seemingly surprised by it.

Chitose nodded. "I love the taste of coffee; it reminds me of my father…" she smiled. "He loved the coffee I made for him…" somehow, her expression turned sorrowful.

"Ohh…" Dojima mused. "I'm sorry for that, Chitose-san…" he tried to sound reassuring to the teacher.

"Thank you, Dojima-san…" Chitose smiled.

"Somehow…" then, Dojima looked at the young teacher. "You remind me of my late wife…"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, my bad…" Dojima realized what he had said before he lowered his gaze. "I shouldn't bring this thing up. But, I have to admit…" he looked at Nanako and her friends who were playing games. "I don't have parental skill…"

"Oh…" Chitose tilted her head. "You shouldn't worry about that, Dojima-san. The best way to make this thing up is being at Nanako's side…"

"That's the hardest part…" Dojima sighed. "I am a detective, and I rarely at home…" he looked on the coffee in the mug. "When I'm at home, I don't know what I should say to her, it's like…" he rubbed the back of his head. "…how should I put it…"

"You need courage, Dojima-san…" then, Chitose spoke.

"Courage?"

"You're afraid to be rejected by her, so you decide to not show any fault to her…" Chitose explained. "But, instead of being rejected, you're being distant to her…"

"I know…" Dojima nodded. "But, how should I get that kind of courage?"

Chitose chuckled before she spoke. "You're a detective, right? Get your detective intuition in handy, Dojima-san…" she grinned.

Somehow, it made Dojima laughed. "Haha… you're naughty…"

"Maybe you should handcuff me, isn't that right?" Chitose suggested, smiling mischievously.

Then, an awkward silence filled the air.

"Umm… maybe we shouldn't say that thing earlier…" Dojima said. "It's embarrassing…"

"You're right…" Chitose agreed. "Really…" she looked at the middle-aged policeman. "Whenever I'm around you, I feel kinda weird…" then, she blushed. "Maybe you're right about me resembling your late wife…"

"I…" Dojima looked at another direction. "I don't know what to say about this…" then, he looked at Chitose, making their eyes met to each other. "Maybe we should keep it low…" he grunted before he continued. "I'm afraid that… Nanako…" he looked at his daughter.

"Maybe…" Chitose seemed uncomfortable with the subject they're discussing at. "Maybe we should wait until the right time…"

"Mmm…" Dojima nodded. "Err… May I go outside for a bit… well, just a little smoking, I guess…" he said. Chitose nodded and smiled. Dojima stood up and went outside.

He took out his cigarette and put it between his lips. He took out his lighter to light the white stick up. Then, he puffed out a ring of smoke before he sighed.

"Great, just great…" he groaned. "Why now?"

Sometimes, it's hard for a real man to admit that he fell in love with someone.

~darkness~

"Whoa… is it for real?" Yukiko seemed astonished as some birds and butterflies perched on her head and hand. "It's wonderful!"

Yurie smiled as she looked at her happy niece. "You are a part of Kushinada, that's for sure. But, it needs your red eyes to be unlocked to make up this ability. Only those who possesses the Royal Blood who has this ability innately…" she explained helpfully.

"Is that so?" Yukiko titled her head, making the birds shifted their place from Yukiko's head onto her shoulder. "Well… it's great already, so I shouldn't complain about this thing…"

"Yukiko-chan, are you sure…" then, Yurie spoke solemnly to the younger woman. "You know the risk, right? I know that your mirror is able to manipulate reality, but making the light from your eyes to be manipulated by the mirror doesn't sound very safe, sweetie…"

"I know that…" Yukiko nodded before her eyes turned red. "I know the risk, yet I have to…" then, some kind of invisible barrier appeared around her. "It's for Souji-kun's sake too…"

Then, she closed her eyes before the docile animals around her flew away from her. Then, she was surrounded by red ray. She grunted as she felt the pain from the process.

"The spirit of fire, please assist me…" she said.

Then, a pair of fiery wings emerged from her back. She let out a sigh of relief as the process completed. Yurie was looking at her with amazement about on how beautiful the thing had become.

"Angel Form…" Yukiko said. "By manipulating the wavelength of the light of my eyes, I can turn myself into a walking sun, almost literally…" then, a fiery ring emerged from the ground where she was standing on. "Sun blesses us with the heat that gives us energy, and it's the same like mine…" the wings flapped. "The heat they radiate is able to heal any wound that it comes into contact, so I can heal my friends by just standing next to them…"

"Oh, quite fascinating, dear…" Yurie commented.

"There's more…" Yukiko grinned. "These wings are able to hurt my enemies, so they come with complete package…"

Then, the wings gone. Yukiko wiped the beads of her sweat.

"But I wonder…" Yurie placed her finger on her cheek as she tilted her head. "How it can be significant with saving Seta-kun? I don't see any relevance on this power with rescuing him…"

"That's…" Yukiko seemed hesitated and blushed for a while before she continued. "I just… want to make him feel better…"

"Make him feel better? Hmm…" then, a mischievous grin appeared on Yurie's lips. "Do you mean, that intimate moment?"

"I-Intimate moment?" Yukiko seemed confused for a while before her face became red like her red jacket. "W-What? W-Wait! I don't mean that!"

"Ooh… my Yuki-chan is thinking something indecent…" Yurie chuckled. "Ooh… how embarrassing…"

"Yurie-san!"

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo. I think this is a transitional chapter before the action-packed chapter, the one that should be the next one. For your sake, I will provide you some information about our characters' alignment.

Minato: Neutral Good (with the tendency of Chaotic Good)

Souji: Early- Neutral Good, With Shadow's power- Chaotic Good, Pre-Serpent Tail- Chaotic Neutral, Betrayal- Chaotic Evil (it's just a masquerade of his Chaotic Good alignment)

Yosuke: Early- Neutral Good, Serpent Tail arc- Chaotic Good

Ryoji: Always Chaotic Neutral

Chie: Neutral Good (with the tendency of Chaotic Good)

Yukiko: Neutral Good

Aigis: Lawful Good

Yukari: Neutral Good

Naoto: Lawful Good

Kanji: Chaotic Good

Akihiko: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Good)

Ken: Lawful Good

Koromaru: Lawful Good

Mitsuru: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Good)

Fuuka: Neutral Good

Rise: Early- Neutral Good, Under Tsukuyomi- True Neutral

Junpei: Neutral Good (with the tendency of Chaotic Good)

Teddie: Neutral Good

For the old dudes:

Gin (Susano-O): Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Chaotic Neutral)

Amaterasu: True Neutral (with the tendency of Neutral Good)

Yurie: Pre-development: Chaotic Good, Recent- Neutral Good

Daidara: Lawful Good

Kurosawa: Lawful Good

Misanori: Lawful Good (with the tendency of Neutral Good)

For the bad guys:

Tsukuyomi: Early- Neutral Evil, Recent- True Neutral

Homura: Chaotic Neutral (with the tendency of Chaotic Evil)

Kazematsuri: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Evil)

Raiga: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Good)

Sui: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Good)

Charles: Lawful Evil

Takaya: Chaotic Evil

Vineyard: Lawful Neutral

Moses: Lawful Neutral (with the tendency of Lawful Evil)

Michael: Chaotic Neutral

Sake: Chaotic Neutral (with the tendency of Chaotic Evil)

Solomon: Neutral Evil (with the tendency of Chaotic Evil)

Orochi: Neutral Evil

Souji: Betrayal- Chaotic Evil (fake one)

The Observers (Velvet Room):

Igor: True Neutral

Elizabeth: True Neutral (with a shade of Neutral Good)

Margaret: True Neutral (with a shade of Neutral Good)

Okay, rant. If I'm not wrong, there is a complaint about me making Yosuke as a joke character who is always being abused by Chie. Well, true to the reason of his making, he's intended to be a joke character, the one who is always being monkey-butted by many people, especially Chie. Of course, among all characters, he's the second strongest (with the jack-of-all-trade ability) and the fastest among them (besides Souji and Akihiko, Ken if you may count), his deadly ninja ability, and almost as strong as Souji, the reason why he can't escape Chie's wrath is that of his eternal obligation with her, the link between both of them, where Chie is the master, while Yosuke is the servant. Yosuke is under Chie's control, and essentially yet practically her pet, the one who she can freely abuse and treat. I know it may be exaggerating, but I've seen no problem with Yosuke's mistreatment.

As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	65. Before the Grand Battle

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 65: Before the Grand Battle

Ken was standing in front of the mirror, looking at his own reflection. He put his new leather coat on and it was surprisingly light and comfortable. Kushinada Clan's emblem, Tomoe could be seen on emblazoned on the left shoulder of the coat.

"You look rather good in that, Ken…"

The brunette boy turned his attention behind and saw Kanji, who was in his usual attire, which consisted of black trench coat and black leather pants.

"Ah, Kanji-san…" Ken smiled to the older man. "Are you sure to put that thing on? Unlike yours, my clothes have been enchanted to give me extra protection…"

Kanji grinned. "No worries, kiddo…" he clenched his fist as he grinned confidently. "This makes me feel better in the battle, so that's it…" he shrugged.

"You look rather cheerful, Kanji-san…" Ken commented.

"Ehehe…" the bleached-haired man showed his fist. "Tomorrow, we're going to fight those group of tapeworms off, and making Souji-senpai realizes he's not a part of those losers…" he expressed his confident expression. "I'm gonna put some senses on that man…"

"Yeah…" Ken nodded. "I believe we can have him back… I believe we can do it…"

Kanji also nodded. "After we finally get him, he's going to get some good smacking from us, right?"

"Save some intact parts for me, okay?"

"You betcha', kiddo…"

~darkness~

Aigis was standing in front of the unconscious Minato. The gynoid sighed heavily as she put her palm on the man's forehead.

"Minato-kun…" Aigis muttered. "I promise, I'll bring Souji-san back. I…" then, she touched Minato's hand. "At least, I want to save him… I don't want to lose someone precious again, just like the last time…"

"Aigis…"

The blonde gynoid was startled before she turned back and saw a red-haired woman who had her rapier prepared on her waist. Kirijo Mitsuru, it was easy for Aigis to recognize her by that appearance alone.

"Mitsuru-san…" Aigis tried her best to smile at the newcomer.

"I want to see him…" Mitsuru spoke. "So, I decided to visit him before that grand battle. It's like…" she looked sadly at Minato's pale face. "It'll be my last time seeing his face…"

"I understand that, Mitsuru-san…" Aigis nodded as she smiled, showing the red-haired woman an understanding expression. "The same goes for me too…"

"Somehow, I feel like…" Mitsuru turned her attention from Minato's face towards the ceiling. "…I have no place for this kind of group, this kind of family…" she lowered her gaze to show Aigis a sorrowful expression. "It makes me feel guilty for me to be happy with all of you, as…" she placed her hand on her chest. "There are many people who were left behind, being left to die and rot…"

"That's not true, Mitsuru-san…" Aigis protested softly. "Every living person has the chance for redemption, the way to atone for the past deeds…" she played Minato's blue locks with her fingers. "He taught us that, right?" her hand shifted from Minato's hair to his cheek, caressing it. "He gave up his life to give humanity a better chance to survive, to make up for their past sins…"

"But… how about him?" then, Mitsuru asked. "He gave humanity a chance to make up for themselves, but how about him? Doesn't he deserve a same chance too?"

"That's…" Aigis lowered her gaze. "I don't know…" then, she raised her gaze to show Mitsuru her hopeful eyes. "But I'm sure he'll find a way! I'm sure of it, he's Minato-kun, all right? I know he'll do something for that!"

"I hope for that too…" Mitsuru nodded. "He keeps hurting himself for the sake of the others. He doesn't mind about his very own being as long as those people he cherishes are safe from any danger." Mitsuru closed her red wine-colored eyes. "If I have a chance to name someone as a saint, he suits it well…"

"A saint…" Aigis smiled as she heard that word. "He's already a saint, a living saint who gives us a second chance in living…"

~darkness~

The navy-haired man opened his bluish-gray eyes, only to find himself in a middle of nowhere, Yes, nowhere. There was nothing around him other than white-colored plain with the sky of the same shade. The place seemed to have no end, judging by seeing the horizons.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, only to feel rather weird as instead of his usual deep, manly voice, he voiced out a rather childish voice. He stood up and realized that the floor was nearer from his view than before. He checked himself and found out that he had turned into a blue-haired boy. Indeed, he's a boy, not a man.

"What happened?" he muttered. He was confused by his new surrounding and new appearance. As he tried to find a solution for that kind of unsolvable problem, he heard another voice which sounded similar like him, only cheekier and chirper.

"Hello, it's been a while…"

The boy almost jumped as he heard that voice. He turned behind and saw a boy with the same height just like him. He wore black and white striped pajamas, along with a pair of brown sandals. His skin seemed pale and white. His hair was black and messy, yet that fashion suited his mysterious appearance. But the most striking feature of that boy was a pair of ghastly, shining blue eyes.

"R-Ryoji…" the boy recognized the other boy. The boy with striped pajamas just chuckled.

"Haha… you're getting used of that name, aren't you?" the other boy said, grinning. "Maybe it's better to call my other name, and I bet you haven't forgotten about that yet…"

The blue-haired boy sighed before he addressed the other boy again. "Pharos…"

"Aahh… that's what I like the most…" Pharos smiled happily. "It sure brings back some old nostalgia…"

"Pharos…" the boy, or rather, the little Minato spoke to Pharos with solemn expression. "Where are we? And what're you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Pharos pointed his finger towards himself as he displayed an innocent look. "Why, you already know about it, right?"

"I…" Minato looked around. Somehow, the fragments of his memory began to merge with each other, forming some kind of uncompleted jigsaw puzzle. He knew it; he knew that he recognized the place, the place he often went when he was chained in front of Death to prevent it from being reached by human malice.

"This is…" Minato uttered. "My dream…"

~darkness~

Akihiko was in the middle of the longue of their hidden hideout, preparing himself by checking his weapons and Evoker. He was wearing short-sleeved shirt which revealed the scar which was caused by Vineyard's sudden attack from her cell.

When he was checking his guns, the door was knocked. He turned his attention on the door before he spoke. "Come in. It's not locked…"

The door was opened and a green-haired nurse in her nurse uniform entered the place. Her expression seemed sad; it looked like she was holding something within her.

"S-Senpai…" the nurse, Fuuka started. She looked at the scar on Akihiko's arm.

"What's up, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked before he looked at the place where Fuuka was looking at. "Oh, if you're still worried about me, I'm alright. It's already healed after that attack…" the white-haired police officer smiled reassuringly.

"But still…" Fuuka lowered her gaze. "It's my fault that you're injured…" she said guiltily. "If I hadn't asked you in the very first place, you won't…" it seemed that she was going to cry, but she held it before she continued. "I am a burden, am I?"

Fuuka looked at her former upperclassman with her glassy eyes. Akihiko fidgeted slightly, not expecting the situation came. He scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out what to do.

"I'm still not good with all of these…" Fuuka said, her voice contained her suppressed sobs. "I want to be useful to all of you… I don't want to be burden…" after that, she couldn't hold it anymore as tears began to roll on her cheeks.

The white-haired man sighed before he took out his handkerchief, handing it to Fuuka. He tried to remain cool even though it seemed awkward. After that, he sighed.

"You're not a burden, Fuuka…"

Fuuka stared on the piece of cloth in her hand before she shifted her gaze towards Akihiko.

"If you're not there, we wouldn't be able to survive that battle…" Akihiko said, remembering their battle on top of Tartarus fighting the Nyx Avatar before he cleared his throat. "You provide us enough support until the end, and there's no way for me to say that you're a burden…"

"Senpai…"

"Ergh…" Akihiko scratched his head. "What am I saying?" he grunted. "Well, there's something that I want you to remember. You are a part of us, our comrade…" he took out a locket which was tucked inside his shirt. "We will keep saving each other, so we won't have to suffer a loss…"

"Oh…" Fuuka looked at the locket. 'That's…"

"It was my fellow policeman's possession…" Akihiko said, sounded a little somber. "He died during that Tokyo Incident…" there was a slight burn mark on the surface of the locket. "He's my friend in academy, and…" he gritted his teeth, trying to not sound whiny. "…the way I felt when I lost him was the same…" he shut his eyes. "…like Shinji…"

Fuuka looked down as she wiped her tears. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

"That's why…" Akihiko clenched his fist, gripping the locket inside it. "I want to protect all of you; Mitsuru, Yukari, Junpei, Yosuke, Ken, others…" then, he smiled. "…and you too…"

Fuuka was taken aback by seeing Akihiko's smile. The smile was rarely shown, but when it showed up, it looked pretty. The smile looked like something that a King would hide from his adversaries and only to be shown in front of his queen. Queen?

Fuuka looked at another direction, trying to hide her reddened face from her former upperclassman. Some imaginary steam came out from her ears before she spoke. "S-Senpai! I-I… well, good luck for tomorrow!" thus, she left, leaving the bemused Akihiko alone in the longue.

"Hmm?" Akihiko seemed confused. "What's up with her?"

~darkness~

Sake was sitting on a rooftop, puffing out smoke from his custom-made pipe, which had the shape of salmon on it. Salmon, sake, it's not a coincidence that he preferred that name for his nickname. His real name, Sarutobi Daisuke had made up the nickname, Sake, which took the 'Sa' from Sarutobi and 'Ke' from Daisuke.

"Enjoying the evening, I assume?"

Sake's eyes widened as he heard that voice which sounded disturbingly familiar to him. He placed his hand on the hilt of his katana before he looked back, only to see a brunette woman, dressed in regular housewife attire.

Within seconds, Sake stood up and prepared himself to attack the newcomer. He observed the woman who had no weapon in her hands, but he shouldn't be fooled by that since he knew the woman.

"Still sharp as always, Daisuke-kun…" the woman commented.

Then, the woman walked towards him. He reflexively unsheathed his katana, swinging it up towards the woman. The brunette woman just stopped walking the moment when Sake swung the sword up as she tilted her body behind, dodging the sharp edge of the sword by thin margin.

"Don't worry, Daisuke-kun…" the woman said gently. "I mean no harm for you today…"

"Yurie…" Sake looked at the woman warily before he sheathed the sword back into its scabbard. "What do you want?"

"I just want to have a chat with you…" Yurie spoke, standing beside Sake.

"A chat with your best friend's murderer…" Sake added sarcastically.

"Daisuke-kun, you've changed…" Yurie said, looking at the pink-haired man with her gentle eyes. "If your brother knows it, he-…"

"Big Bro's dead, Yurie…" Sake said with pressed tone. "He's dead. There's no point of worrying over the dead one…"

"Daisuke-kun…" Yurie sighed. "Just think about it. You became this because of the curse, something that didn't come from inside you. You're just corrupted by Orochi, not because of your need of vengeance over your brother's death. You…" Yurie said reassuringly. "You still have a chance…"

"Yurie…" Sake looked at the woman. An image of a young, energetic brunette girl seemed to replace Yurie's feminine and mature expression, as both of those images seemed to overlap to each other. "My soul is beyond salvation, and I've told Teacher Daidara the same thing too. Only my death is the only cure of this kind of 'disease'…" he placed his palm on his chest.

"Daisuke-kun…" Yurie sighed. "Seta-kun too… he's struggling for making himself out from his darker self. If he can do it, why don't-…"

"He still has his hope, while I don't. I will follow Orochi's order, giving chaos upon mankind…" Sake said with somber tone. "I won't be able to do that…"

"Daisuke-kun…" Yurie sighed again. "Well… it can't be helped then. I will leave the tasks for those youngsters. They'll know how to make up for that…" then, she looked at Sake's face. "But, I just want you to know that…" she gave Sake her most sincere smile. "No matter how great the sins you had done upon me and our friends, I still… forgive you…"

"Forgive… me?" Sake frowned.

"See you later, Daisuke-kun…" in a flash, Yurie vanished, leaving a brown, wilted leaf on the spot she was standing on. Sake picked the brown leaf, looking at it.

"Our friends, huh?" the adjutant of Sloth muttered. Then, he smiled sadly, a smile that didn't resemble any of his evil and demonic smiles which he often displayed. "Even after what I had done to you, and your family, you're still thinking that I'm still one of you…"

~darkness~

Yosuke was sitting in the middle of the empty room, meditating. Both of his eyes were closed before he opened them to reveal a pair of yellow-tinted orbs. It looked different compared to Souji's demonic ones since instead of radiating out an eerie and demonic golden light; they were just glistening, like a surface of a golden plate.

He picked up Tamayorihime which was put beside him. He pulled the sword out of its scabbard to see the metallic surface of the sword. By looking at the sword, he could see his reflection, which contained his glowing yellow eyes. In a flash, he could see the image of Souji's demonic face, grinning evilly towards him.

"It is either I… or him…" Yosuke muttered, putting the sword back into its scabbard. "…who should be killed…?"

Then, the door was opened, and a blonde boy entered the room.

"Hi, Yosuke!" the boy, Teddie spoke to the brunette man with his cheerful smile. "Whatcha' doin' here?"

"Teddie…" Yosuke looked at Teddie's face. "I don't know what I should do…" he spoke. "It's about the battle tomorrow, and I have to kill Souji for that…"

"Yosuke…" Teddie seemed concerned. "I know there's some way for that. You don't have to kill him, right?"

Yosuke gritted his teeth before he punched the floor with his fist, creating a little crater, much to Teddie's surprise. He looked at Teddie with his golden eyes as tears started to gather on his eyes. "You don't know what the shit is going on here? You don't even know what things I have to consider? You don't know how should I not screw with this kind of bullshitting destiny? You know nothing!"

"I know…" Teddie said. "I mean, it's not like there's no options left. I know it has to be there…" he tried to sound convincing, yet the bear inside of him made his voice sounded the same like his usual tone.

"I…" Yosuke wiped his tears before his eyes reverted back into its dull hazel color. "I wish there is…"

"Yosuke…" suddenly, a black-haired man mysteriously appeared inside the room. The man, the Herald of Nyx, Mochizuki Ryoji entered the scene. As usual, his trademark grin plastered on his face. "It seems that you're in trouble deciding the future fate for both you and Souji…"

Yosuke grunted before he spoke. "Maybe I should sacrifice myself, so the prediction comes true, and I'll try to convince Souji to snap out before I die…" he said, presenting a suicidal suggestion. Teddie seemed terrified by the terrible idea.

"That's a good consideration…" Ryoji commented as he continued to smirk. "Heroic sacrifice is something that a person will do if there are no other options. But…" then, his expression turned serious. "If you consider sacrificing yourself for the mankind, what will happen to the one who you wish to protect the most?"

"That's…" Yosuke grunted, remembering his eternal obligation with Chie.

"Both of you are connected by your souls. If you die, something bad may happen to Chie…" Ryoji said solemnly. "Death maybe the worst case ever, but the lesser consequences shouldn't be ignored either. Maybe she'll turn into vegetative state? Or maybe she'll lose her sanity? And… if you die, she may end up depressed, and turned suicidal. Just imagine someone who turns into vegetative state, being suicidal in the same time…" then, he smirked. "…maybe something worst will happen, worst than what I've said just now…"

"Yosuke…" Teddie patted Yosuke's shoulder. "Just 'bear' with it. I know there might be a solution for this…"

"Indeed, there is a solution for this…" Ryoji said, making Yosuke startled. "A third option…"

"Do you mean…" Yosuke looked at Ryoji with disbelief. "There's no need for both of us to kill each other without screwing with the destiny?"

"Of course…" Ryoji nodded, his voice sounded monotonous. "You know it, right? The foretold destiny for both of you is about two stars that will meet, and the only one will remain…" he closed his blue eyes. "The future is often associated with the stars. Even in the past, the event of Herakles killing the Nemean Lion, the event of Perseus slaying Medusa, they are written in the sky…" his finger pointed upwards.

"Future… written in the sky?" Yosuke frowned.

"The two stars…" Ryoji stated. "…they are about both you and Souji, right?" he asked. Yosuke nodded. Then, the black-haired man looked at Teddie.

"We might just need…" he smiled. "…another star…"

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. I am busy with my studies at the university, so forgive me if my update of this story is a little irregular. Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter, but I want to ask you to at least put some 'building' reviews, so I can think of something in the future for my story. Please expect the action in the later chapter, and the last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	66. The Battle of Yasogami

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 66: The Battle of Yasogami

Yasogami High School seemed to be packed with people who wanted to go for the school festival. It seemed that even though the country was quite in trouble due to the threat from the Serpent Tail, the citizens would like to have some fun once in a while. If we talk about school festival, it meant it well, anyway, just a typical school festival.

But, unlike the previous festivals, the school ground was guarded with some heavily-armed soldiers and policemen. Some helicopters could be occasionally seen in air, which was looked as a safety measure.

Of course, the Serpent Eaters were the busiest people who had to deal with the upcoming battle with the Serpent Tail that had planned to use the innocent visitors and turn them into their undead army.

For some of the members of the Eaters, they had to go to the festival because soon, the festival would change into a horrific battlefield since the Serpent Tail had planned to kill most of the visitors so they could change them into their undead minions to gain their first victory in the Serpent Requiem.

Of course, by hearing that some of your fellow townsfolk soon be killed and to be changed into undead soldiers was a bit scary, but the Eaters had to swallow it and had to fight for their life.

"Whoa… it never changes, isn't it?" Yosuke commented. Chie and Ken were walking together with him. They were currently in the middle of the crowd in the festival.

"Yeah…" Chie nodded. "Too bad something terribly horrible will happen here…" she glanced to a family that visited the festival. They were laughing at chatting to each other, utterly oblivious about the upcoming disaster. "If the battle starts, we must quickly move all people away from the school ground…"

"That's right, Chie-san…" Ken agreed. "I can't imagine killing a zombie child…" he sighed. "I wish we'll not walk too far from the rooftop. I've left my spear there…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ken-kun. Maybe having a larger weapon isn't too good after all…" Chie looked at the brunette teenager. "Well, when the battle starts, you can just fight using your Persona, right? I bet you've brought your Evoker?"

Ken grinned as he placed his hand on his chest. He was wearing a black longcoat (just plain weird) and he hid his summoning device underneath it. "It's kinda strange wearing this type of clothing in the public. It makes me look like a hitman character from a low-budgeted noir film…"

"I agree with you, Ken-kun…" Chie sighed. She was wearing her short-skirted kimono which had some floral patterns on it. She wore her shorttank underneath her skirt. "My mother forced me to wear this…"

"Haha, that's Yurie-san for you…" Yosuke laughed nervously. Unlike Ken and Chie, his clothing was kinda normal, with black jacket and denim pants. "She does like dressing you like a doll, doesn't she?"

"You're right…" Chie sighed. They were walking along the corridor, looking at some stalls along the way. Then, Chie looked at Yosuke. "Anyway, you've a very long conversation with Ryoji and Teddie. What's up with that?"

Yosuke's expression changed before he lowered his gaze. "It's nothing…" he said evasively to Chie. "Just small talk…"

Chie frowned. Small talk with Teddie would be believable, but with Ryoji, the crooked one in heroic side, the conversation could be more than just a small talk. Even though she didn't spend much time with the avatar of Nyx, she could sense that Ryoji was planning something and nobody but few knew the plan. She wanted to ask more, but decided against it as she looked at Yosuke's expression.

Ken looked around him to see the visitors. "There're too many people here. We can't protect them all when those bastards come…" he said worriedly.

"Just try our best, Ken-kun…" Chie said to the younger brunette reassuringly. "I know we can manage it somehow…"

"You're right, Chie-san. We will try our best…" Ken said, clenching his fists. "We will protect all the people and knock those bastards off…" then, he lowered his gaze. "And we will bring Souji-san back to us…"

"Ken…" Yosuke looked at Ken before he closed his eyes.

_Out of two stars, only one will remain. That means… Souji and I are destined to kill each other…_

Yosuke sighed heavily. He took Souji's glasses from his jacket and put it on. His eyes turned into glistening yellow as he put on the glasses.

_I'm sorry, Souji. This is my choice… I don't want to die…_

~darkness~

A helicopter landed on the rooftop of the school. Fuuka who was in her nurse's uniform came out from the helicopter, followed by Mitsuru. Akihiko and Ryoji were also there and they came towards those women.

"The preparation is completed, Fuuka. Please make sure to remain here…" Mitsuru spoke to the nurse. "We're counting on you…"

"I-I'll try my best, senpai!" Fuuka nodded. The red-haired executive just smiled and patted Fuuka's shoulder before she walked away from the place. The helicopter flew away, leaving Fuuka on the rooftop.

"So, let's sum it up. You'll remain here, the highest place in the school to detect any abnormal Persona's activity, which means that those from the Serpent Tail are here…" Akihiko spoke to Fuuka. The green-haired nurse nodded. Ryoji just grinned.

"We'll take our leave, Fuuka…" Ryoji said before he walked towards the door. "And… please try to not die…"

"Eeekk!" Fuuka yelped as Ryoji said that. The black-haired man snickered before he walked away.

Akihiko sighed. "Just brush it off. He likes to say nonsense sometimes…" then, Akihiko handed Fuuka a gun. "Take this…"

"Eh?" Fuuka frowned as she took the weapon.

"For protection…" Akihiko said. "Well, since your Persona can't fight, you should have that at least…"

Fuuka stared on the weapon in her hands before she nodded. "I understand. I won't let you down…"

"Good." Akihiko smiled. "So, I'm off. If you detect something, contact any nearest Eaters and the battle will commence after that…" he turned to the door. "Please be careful, Fuuka…"

"You too, senpai…" Fuuka said. Akihiko nodded before he went down.

Fuuka stared at the door before she muttered. "Senpai…"

~darkness~

"Are you sure you're gonna have that thing in your hand? It's getting weirder and weirder as all people saw us like this…" Naoto asked a man who was holding a baseball club in his hands. "People will think something wrong with that…"

"Hehe…" the man, Junpei grinned. "I hold my pride as a baseball player, Naoto-kun…" an imaginary sparkle could be seen near his face, and Kanji who were accompanying both of them were just wondering if he needed to check his eyes at hospital after this.

"Yeah, yeah…" Naoto sighed. "Anyway, the crowd is getting thicker and thicker. If the attack occurs before the expected time, we won't be able to protect all of them…" she looked at some of passersby with concerned look. "I won't let Orochi and his minions killing these people…"

"The only way to protect them…" Junpei's tone became solemn. "…is by fighting those bastards…" he looked on his palm. "I know Minato will have a solution for this if he's here with us, I'm sure of it…"

"Junpei-san…" Naoto looked at the man's face. "Well… when Minato-sa-… I mean, when my brother trained me, he did say something about you…" she smiled.

"He did?" Junpei frowned, mildly surprised.

"He said he's grateful to have someone like you as his best friend…" Naoto explained. "During his time before he came to Gekkoukan, he never had any real friends. But, when he came to Tatsumi Port Island, when his journey as a Persona-user began, he started to have real friends, and the closest to him was…" she pointed her finger to Junpei. "…you…"

"That's…" Junpei blushed before he lowered his gaze. "I never thought…"

"He said you're special…" Naoto said. "You've a dream, a great yet childish dream, as he got none. You wished to be a hero and saving people, and your dream had inspired him…" she chuckled a bit before she continued. "He said, without you, he wouldn't have a reason to fight and only acted as a puppet, being ordered by the situations around him…" she said.

Junpei scratched his cheek before he grinned and put his hand on Naoto's head. "That Minato…" he smiled serenely before he looked at Naoto's face. "You know, for me, Minato is my brother… so, in this case…" then, his hand shifted to the detective's cheek and pinched it, making her yelped. "You'll be my sister too!"

"Haha… great idea…" Naoto chuckled before she pushed Junpei's hand aside. She rubbed her reddened cheek. "I'll appreciate that, big brother Junpei…" she smiled cheerfully, making both men beside her blushed, especially Kanji.

"T-Too… c-cu-te…" Kanji thought before he felt a familiar sensation within his nostrils. His eyes widened before he put his hand on his nose, but it was too late.

Spoosh!

"Kanji-kun! Y-You're bleeding!"

"Kanji!" Junpei held the unconscious Kanji who had suffered a massive blood loss as Naoto seemed startled by Kanji's sudden reaction. "Naoto, gimme some tissues, quick!"

One lesson to be learned for Kanji: avoid of being near to Naoto before every major battle because her aura of moeness was guaranteed to be fatal.

~darkness~

Aigis and Yukari were walking together among the crowd in the festival. The brunette woman was carrying her compact archery set which was in her bag as the blonde gynoid was concealing her firearms under her blue jacket. The anti-Shadow weapon was walking in front of Yukari; scanning every area they were going to avoid any surprise attack. Yukari's bag was also made to eject her fully-organized set of bow and arrows by one click, a courtesy from Kirijo Corporation.

"No threat found…" Aigis said with her dull voice before she looked back at her friend. Then, a smile formed on her lips and her voice turned into her cheerful one. "Don't worry too much, Yukari. I'll be here, protecting you…"

Yukari nodded and smiled as well. "Thanks…" she looked straight at Aigis' blue eyes. "I'll protect you too…"

After that, they continued their walk before they stopped in front of a mask stall. Something was attracting Aigis' attraction from the stall.

"My…" a male voice could be heard and it was from a masked man who was tending the stall. "It seems you like the display of art, my lady…" the man spoke to Aigis. He was wearing a white mask which had two eye sockets and one of them had some butterfly patterns on it. His long auburn hair was tied in ponytail fashion.

Aigis stared at the man's masked face and tilted her head. Somehow, the man felt familiar to her. The man's eyes were blue, same like her and it made her felt like if she took the mask off, she would find nothing other than her own face. In a flash, a blue butterfly entered her mind but it faded too quickly because of the man's voice.

"The mask is able to chance us from a person into another person…" the masked man took one of his displayed masks in the shelf before he moved it towards his face. In a flash, by a wave of his hand across his face, his mask on his face changed into the one he was holding. Aigis and Yukari were amazed by that as some of passersby applauded by the display. "And you too, my dear…" he handed the mask he previously wore to Aigis. "You, like other people, are wearing a mask to hide your true face…"

"My… true face?" Aigis looked on the face of the porcelain mask in her hands. The mask was a masterpiece; it almost looked real like a human's face. "So, if I'm wearing a mask, what's my true face?"

The man chuckled before he fetched another mask, and like before, he changed his mask again, receiving applauds from the spectators. "I am wondering for that part too, but…" somehow, a brush with blue ink appeared in his right hand. "Let's leave that part unanswered, my dear…" he wrote something on the forehead of the mask Aigis was holding. The gynoid stared on what the man had written.

"Zero. 0." Aigis said. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's nothing…" then, he leaned in before he whispered softly to Aigis. "Or everything, Aigis…" before Aigis could respond for that, the man turned to Yukari. "And as for you…" he waved his hand to make something which looked like a magic trick before a blue rose appeared in his hand. He gave confused Yukari the rose. "This is a present for you, my fair one…"

"Eh?" Yukari frowned as she stared on the blue rose.

"Use it wisely, my dear…" the man whispered again before he said in cheerful manner. "So, thanks for coming. Since both of you're too cute, I'll give you two those things for free."

So, both Yukari and Aigis left the stall with bemused looks, holding their respective items in their hands. Aigis studied the mask and Yukari looked on the weird-looking flower.

"That guy looks weird, doesn't he?" Yukari looked at Aigis.

"No…" Aigis shook her head. "I think… I think I've seen him once…" she said. "It's just the same like the last time…"

"Huh?" Yukari frowned. "What's the last time?"

"I don't know…" Aigis shook her head, much to Yukari's frustration. "But I believe I saw him before…"

Meanwhile, the masked man in his stall sat on his chair while a creepy-looking old man clad in tuxedo emerged from the shadow behind. The old man chuckled and smiled smugly. The masked man sighed before he took off his mask, but his face was obscured by shadow.

"It's very unlikely for you to do such thing…" the old man, Igor spoke. "Master Philemon…"

Philemon turned his face to Igor and showed his half-masked face which had butterfly patterns on it. Philemon smiled before he opened his right hand and blue butterflies emerged from his palm.

"It's just…" the master of human's unconsciousness spoke. "The conflict seems to be rather fascinating, even for a true neutral like me…"

"I see…" Igor mused. "So, I am curious of the outcome of your interference, Master Philemon…" after that, by a hand wave, he vanished.

~darkness~

Two policemen were guarding the main gate of the school when two suspicious cloaked men came towards them. Their appearance seemed to bring suspicion for the guards and one of the policemen went towards them.

"Excuse me? Can you wait for a few moments? I just want to make sur-!" he stopped as he felt something cold and metallic on his forehead. He looked at the face of the man he was speaking to and saw a demonic grin.

"I wonder if you're tired…" the man in cloak said. "If you do, please give me the favor to give you one…" the policeman realized that a revolver was put on his forehead.

"An eternal rest…" the cloaked man pressed the trigger. The wall of the main gate behind the policeman was decorated with blood and splattered brain. The other one was surprised by the sudden event, trying to reach out his gun, but before he could pull his gun out, he felt something cold was touching his throat.

"What the?" the policeman said before he could find out that a metallic knife was protruded through his neck. He fell limply to the ground, lifeless.

The sudden attack wasn't realized by the other visitors, so those assaulters took their chance to dispose the dead bodies by dragging them into the nearby bushes.

"It's easier than I thought…" the man with yellow eyes and hair spoke as he smiled smugly.

"Let's proceed to the next plan…" the other one said. "Serpent Requiem, activated…"

~darkness~

"They're coming…" Chie muttered. "Yosuke, can you feel them?" she turned to her guardian.

"Yes, somehow…" the brunette man nodded. "Well, let's get started…" he reached into his jacket to take out his kunais.

Meanwhile, on top of the school building, Fuuka closed her eyes before she muttered.

"They're here…"

Somewhere in the building, some cloaked men were standing among the crowd.

"Let's get the party started, shall we?"

Boom!

All Eaters heard an explosion. As for the cue, Yosuke with Chie dashed forward while Ken stayed. He took out his Evoker. In other place, Junpei pulled out his concealed katana inside his baseball bat while Kanji took a nearby table. Naoto pulled out her revolver from her jacket.

"And so… it starts…" Yukari muttered before she pushed a button on her bag and a completed archery set sprung out from the bag.

"It does…" Aigis nodded before she took off her jacket, revealing her well-armored bodice. She put her fingers on the stripes of her hands before a short combat knife emerged from her wrist. "Let's do our best!"

Meanwhile, Mitsuru and Akihiko pulled out their respective weapons; rapier and revolver. Both of them also pulled out their Evoker before they put the summoning device on their temples.

"Persona!"

~darkness~

In an empty classroom, Yukiko was sitting motionlessly on a table before a helmeted man in black jacket appeared from nowhere inside the classroom.

"I've been expecting you…" Yukiko said, looking at the newcomer. "Souji-kun…"

**"So, you're the one he's talking about…"** the adjutant of Betrayal spoke with his unearthly voice.

"Same what I've thought…" Yukiko said. "You're not you anymore…" she stood up and walked towards Souji. "So, I'll bring you back to us…"

Yukiko now was standing in front of Souji before she tried to reach Souji's helmet. An inch before she could touch his metallic helmet, she pulled it back before she brought her other hand which was holding a folded fan towards Souji's neck.

"I'll bring you back…" Yukiko said, trying to suppress her sobs. "I'll bring you back, even by force…"

**"…"** Souji stated at Yukiko's face with his glowing yellow orbs.

"Then, why don't you attack me first?" Yukiko tried to challenge the helmeted man. "I don't want to attack you if you don't attack me…"

**"I can't…"** Souji shook his head. **"I've made a promise with other me to not hurt you…"**

Yukiko's eyes widened and gaped. She turned her face, trying to hide her reddened face from him. "W-What do you mean?"

**"Run, Amagi Yukiko…"** Souji said. **"Don't involve yourself into this madness. It will end shortly after this…"**

"Souji-kun…"

"Yukiko, step aside…"

Both Souji and Yukiko turned their face to the voice and saw a brunette man who was wearing a pair of glasses which had silvery frame and tinted lenses. His eyes were golden yellow and slightly glowing, but seemingly different compared to Souji's demonic yellow eyes.

"Yosuke-kun?" Yukiko frowned.

**"Hanamura Yosuke…"** Souji spoke. **"I've been expecting you…"** a naginata materialized in his hand. **"Have you made your choice?"**

Yosuke nodded before he opened his palm and Tamayorihime appeared in his hand. He was holding the katana in his left and his dagger in his right. "Yes I have…" he nodded. "And this is my choice. I won't regret it…"

"W-Wait! W-What do you mean?" Yukiko asked, seemingly confused.

"Yukiko…" Yosuke said, not looking at the woman. "Go away; don't get yourself into my sight. Go and help Chie…" he ordered coldly.

"B-But…" Yukiko seemed hesitated.

"Go!" Yosuke said louder. Reluctantly, Yukiko went away from Souji's side, leaving only both Souji and Yosuke in the empty classroom.

**"So, are you ready, partner?"** Souji asked with his demonic voice before he assumed his battle stance.

"I am…" Yosuke nodded before he prepared himself to fight his former friend. "I won't hold my back…" he closed his eyes before he thought.

_I will save you, Souji…_

~darkness~

The crowd was pretty messed-up because of the explosion, but Ryoji was walking calmly amongst the terrified visitors. He smiled smugly before a silver longsword appeared in his hand.

"The party is already started…" he muttered. Then, he stopped in front of a green-eyed man who was holding a sword with the same length as his. "But it would be better if you prepare some kind of red wine for make this party even grander. Isn't that right…" he smugly grinned to the green-eyed man.

"Orochi…"

~darkness~

Sorry for the late update. I have to buy a new broadband because the wireless in my place is kinda sucked up. I hope you love this chapter and the last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	67. Beast VS Beast

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 67: Beast VS Beast

All visitors frantically sought for their way out because after the explosion, the school building began to rumble large debris began to fall. Some unfortunate ones were trapped in the chaos. Because of that, the Eaters tried their best to save most of them.

A girl and her little brother were searching tearfully for their mother after being separated from them because of the explosion. The sister called their mother out as the little boy cried. As they continued their searching, a large pile of rocks fell from the top of them ceiling, and it seemed that it will hit them.

The girl looked upwards and gasped as she saw the incoming rocks. She grabbed her brother and embraced him, protecting him with her body.

Bamm!

Instead of being flattened by the rocks, she felt the smaller parts of rocks hit her body. She looked behind and saw a large humanoid figure, holding a glowing red naginata. It was a female warrior clad in tight black battle suit and gas mask. She was using her body to protect both girl and boy from being hit.

"Are you alright?"

After that, Chie emerged and went towards the children. She examined both of them for a brief moment before she gave them a comfortable hug. "There, there… don't cry. It'll end soon, don't worry…"

"Wh-Where's our mother?" the sister asked. Chie smiled as she wiped the girl's tear.

"She'll be okay. We'll find her soon…" Chie said soothingly. Then, she pointed to a direction. "There's the safest route. Go there and you'll go out safely…"

By that, both brother and sister went to the route, not before giving Chie a thankful bow. After both of them left, Chie sighed.

"This is getting tougher…" she muttered. Then, she heard a familiar voice.

"Chie!"

Chie turned her attention to the voice and found Yukiko who was holding her fans. Her expression was hard to read. "Yukiko! What happened?"

Yukiko just lowered her gaze before she looked at another direction. "Let's save the others. We'll leave the fighting stuff with Ryoji-kun and the others…" she went towards a direction, leaving Chie behind.

"Yukiko!" Chie said before she sighed. "What's up with you?" then, she followed her.

~darkness~

Mochizuki Ryoji and Orochi were standing face to face to each other while holding their respective weapons. Both of them displayed their grins of anticipation, which filled with strong urge to cut each other. Ryoji put his long silver sword on his shoulder before he spoke. "Good timing, eh?"

Orochi just chuckled before he pointed his long sword towards Ryoji. "I'm grateful to facing you personally, the harbinger of Death, the Appraiser of Nyx, Nyx Avatar, Thanatos…" his green eyes glinted. "Mochizuki Ryoji…"

"My hands feel itchy…" Ryoji said, grinning. "I feel like I want to cut someone…"

"Go on…" Orochi replied. "And there's plenty of 'em…" he said. "Let's start!"

In a flash, both Ryoji and Orochi charged towards each other and their respective weapons collided, producing such nightmarish sparks that made some of the visitors that tried to escape from the place screamed in horror. After the collision, a violent fight between two superior beings finally happened. Ryoji laughed gleefully while swinging his sword onto Orochi.

"Gyahahahahahaha! T-This is nice!" the black-haired man exclaimed. "What is this sensation again? Excitement! I can feel my bones breaking apart because of this!" he swung his massive sword downwards and Orochi parried the slash with his same-sized sword. Those two demons were exchanging slashes and parries, making some kind of unearthly spark scattered everywhere as their weapons collided.

"You're enjoying it, right?" Orochi asked, parrying Ryoji's violent assault.

"Take a good guess…" Ryoji replied smugly as he continuously attacked Orochi like a ferocious beast.

"Then I'll make enjoyment ends here!" Orochi announced before his left hand glowed. Then, he fired green beam towards Ryoji. The black-haired man was caught by surprise and before he could react to it, he was sent behind by the beam.

"So, how's that?" Orochi asked.

"Not bad…" Ryoji said. "But…" he closed his eyes before his body was engulfed by blackish cocoon. After the cocoon disintegrated, instead of his human's façade, there was a gigantic black-humanoid creature with a cape consisted of coffins and silver draconic mask. He let out a demonic roar. "…Death awaits you…"

"Interesting…" Orochi grinned before he dashed towards the newly-manifested Thanatos, the herald of Nyx, the god of Death. "Let me taste the feeling of dying!"

"Be my guest, Orochi… be my guest…" Thanatos replied before he swung his gigantic silver sword downwards. As both of their swords collided, a terrifying explosion occurred.

~darkness~

"All clear!" Kanji shouted after bringing out a couple of kids to a safe route. "How it goes, Naoto?" he asked the blue-haired sleuth who was trying to comfort a girl who was separated from her mother.

"I hope we've brought all of them out…" Naoto said, taking out a roll of bandage and treated the girl's wound. "Are you okay, dear? We'll bring you out from here…" she said reassuringly. The girl sniffed before she nodded.

Suddenly they heard some voices, the moaning voices. Kanji turned around and saw a glimpse of something horrible. He turned to Naoto and shouted. "Shit! They're coming!"

"Ngh!" Naoto grunted before she picked the girl, making the girl yelped. "It's too late to bring her to the safe route! We'll fight those things first!" she used her other hand to take out her revolver. "Don't worry dear… we'll protect you…"

Then, those horrible things came into view. They were rotten, grotesque creature which resembled humans, but the way they walked seemed funny, like they were puppets. "So… we're fighting zombies this time?" Kanji said before he readied himself. "Well, zombies or not, bring it on!"

As for that, he rushed towards those zombies with his table in his hands before he ploughed his way decimating the foes with his brute strength. Naoto sighed before she put the girl down.

"Close your eyes, dear…" Naoto ordered the girl. "I'm afraid you'll see something more terrible than those things…" as for that, her body released blue smoke before her skin turned pitch black. Naoto moved her hands, observing her new form, trying to be familiar with the new change.

"Hmm… I never thought I can spread the force throughout my body. Well, it's not like I have to complain about it…" she muttered before she dashed towards the group of zombies, leaving blue smoking trails as she moved.

"Uh?" Kanji seemed to be mildly surprised by Naoto's new change before he said. "Nice skin."

"Thanks…" Naoto nodded before a card appeared in front of her. "Here goes nothing!"

"Hehe, me too!" a card also appeared in front of Kanji. Both of them simultaneously crushed the cards while shouting in unison.

"Persona!"

~darkness~

Fuuka was alone on the rooftop, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate herself to detect the presence of the enemies in the building. She could feel the school building was shaking, but she needed to stay there no matter what happened.

"I have to stay strong!" she kept insisted while clutching the gun Akihiko had handed to her before. "I can't help them much in combat, so I should-… no, I can do this!"

"Ah, quite touching…"

Fuuka's eyes widened as she heard the voice and she turned around, only to see a tall yellow-haired man with golden eyes. The man clad in black leather jacket, but it didn't prevent her to recognize the man. The man was holding his trademark weapon; a revolver.

"T-Takaya?" Fuuka stuttered. She couldn't believe she didn't detect the man's presence. "W-What do you want?" she asked as she raised the gun, pointing it at Takaya.

"What I want? Obviously…" Takaya smirked. "You people had done the same to us, right? You took Vineyard, our support into your custody. So, there's no surprise if we want to do the same too…" she walked towards Fuuka.

"D-Don't come here!" Fuuka shouted, putting her finger on the trigger even though she was trembling while doing that. "Don't come near me!" she said while in verge of tears.

"So, why don't you take a shot?" Takaya asked, smiling wickedly. "Remember, a bullet still can shut me off. With that gun, you can kill me with relative ease. All you have to do is…" he made a gesture. "…pull the trigger…"

"I-I…" Fuuka seemed confused before she lowered the gun. "I-I can't…" she said.

"Then… you prefer the other way, right?"

"Huh?"

Bang!

"Ahhh!" Fuuka cried as she was thrown behind due to a shot. As her back touched the floor, she realized that she was shot on her left shoulder. "Uhh… uh…" it was painful and she was scared as she saw blood from the wound.

"Heh… pathetic…" Takaya said before he went to Fuuka and kicked her head.

"Guu!" yelped Fuuka as Takaya kicked her head. Then the adjutant of Pride picked the green-haired woman by pulling her hair. He put the weapon on Fuuka's forehead.

"But, instead of capturing you…" Takaya smirked. "I prefer an easier way…"

"N-No…" Fuuka whined. Her gun was thrown away from her hand when she was shot. Now, she's unable to do anything. Even her Persona wouldn't or couldn't protect her.

"Nice seeing you, Priestess…" Takaya said before he put his finger on the trigger.

Bam!

Takaya's eyes widened as he was thrown behind by an unknown force. His back touched the wall before he realized his chest was wounded by a gunshot. Then he saw a white-haired man, cradling Fuuka in his hands.

"Are you alright?" the man, Akihiko asked.

"I-I'm alright!" Fuuka nodded before she yelped as Akihiko's hand touched her wound. "Oww!"

"Ops! Sorry…" Akihiko apologized before he took out a short combat knife. "Please hang on. It's going to hurt…" after saying that, the knife was used to stab the wound.

"Ahh!" Fuuka cried in pain as she felt the cold metal went into her flesh of her shoulder. Then Akihiko pulled the knife out with a bullet stuck on the blade.

"A magnetic knife, another Ryoji's invention…" Akihiko sighed before he threw the knife away. "The wound isn't too deep, so I can use this thing…" he put Fuuka down before he used Dia to heal her wound. After that, he turned towards Takaya who had stood up. "And for you…"

Caesar appeared above the white-haired police officer as he glared at Takaya, shooting dagger. "I won't forgive you for hurting the other people I cherish…"

"Oh, you're Sanada Akihiko, right?" Takaya smirked. "I never forget that priceless look, hehe…" he said mockingly. "Oh, you're still mad about me killing your friend? That traitorous one-of-my-kind? Hehe… I barely remember his name…"

Akihiko shouted. "He's Aragaki Shinjiro! And he's the greatest man I ever knew!" he took out his gun and pointed it towards Takaya. "I'll bring death for you, Sakaki Takaya!"

"Oh, I'm looking forward for that!" Takaya replied as he pointed his revolver towards Akihiko as well. "Show me your strength, Sanada Akihiko!"

Simultaneously, both of them shot out their bullets out from their weapons. Their bullets soared in air before barely touched the skin on their faces, grazing it. After that, both of them dashed towards each other before their fists collided, making the building rumbled due to the impact.

"Kyaah!" Fuuka cried as the building shook.

"Show me your hatred, boy! Show me if you're really want to kill me to avenge your friend!" Takaya said with a maniacal grin.

"I won't kill you to avenge Shinji!" Akihiko shouted. "I'll kill you so you won't hurt my other friends!" Fuuka could see tears came out from the man's eyes. "Your existence is a plague, and I'll stop your existence, right here and now!" he summoned Caesar before the humanoid creature swung down his sword, intending to crush Takaya under the heavy impact.

"Then, try!" Takaya challenged Akihiko. "Try to kill me, if you can!" he evaded the swing before he shot out several bullets towards Akihiko.

Akihiko dodged every bullets with some of them barely grazed his face and arms. "I don't have to try! I will DO it!" the hand which he used for his gun released some kind of electricity spark before he shot out an electrified bullet towards Takaya. "I'll claim your head, wretched creature!"

"Then, do it!" Takaya shouted as he evaded the bullet. The electricity-powered bullet hit the wall behind him and the wall exploded.

"Next time, your fate will be the same as that wall, Takaya…" Akihiko growled. "Now, be gone!"

~darkness~

"Souji… can you hear them?" Yosuke asked. "The cries of those horrified ones… they're trying to search a path of escape…" he glanced venomously towards the masked Souji. "And you cut almost all the possible ways of their life, Souji…"

Souji nodded curtly. **"Then it'll be sufficient to show them the nature of humans… by showing them the true horror, they will eventually see their true faces. Due to their desperation, their hearts have earned enough strength to break their outer layers of mask to reveal what they truly are."** Souji made a gesture like he was sneering. **"I'm doing the things I should do, partner. I'm showing them a path of salvation to make them learn their true selves rather than leaving them oblivious about their true natures…"**

"B-But this is wrong!" Yosuke protested. "T-They're not us! A-And we barely escaped when we learned our true faces!" he said. "They're not ready for this! Humanity isn't ready to reach its true self! Humans are…" he looked down. "…very fragile. They tend to break very easily, even by a slight force or a mere change of words…"

**"And your point?"** Souji asked.

"You know it, right?" Yosuke said. He remembered the day when he heard Saki's words about him.

_Pain in the ass!_

"Truth is sometimes very hard to accept. They tend to twist the way of people's belief. Knowing the truth is painful and it may leave a mark on someone's heart forever…" Yosuke closed his eyes. "Truth has a potential to kill, just like the Shadows…" he reopened his eyes to reveal his enhanced yellow eyes. "Rather than embracing it, people tend to fear the truth, just like fearing the Shadows."

**"I won't deny it either…"** Souji shrugged. **"It's their fault for being hypocrite, Yosuke. They refuse to learn what they truly are; they don't want to know their true selves."**

"Humans aren't perfect either! I won't deny a people should learn their true selves too, but they should be given time! It takes time for humans to learn their mistakes! To give them something like what have been done today…" Yosuke gritted his teeth. "It's the same like you haven't given them anything rather than useless lessons!"

**"T-That's…"** Souji seemed hesitated.

"You realized it as well, right, partner? How meaningless this lessons to them other than giving them fear and hatred towards learning their true selves? By that, I've come into a conclusion…" Yosuke pointed his Tamayorihime towards Souji. "You must be stopped. This madness must be stopped. I will stop the madness you've started!"

Souji was fazed for a moment before he snapped back into reality. He let out a sigh before he raised his Amenonuhoko. **"You've matured, Yosuke. You wish to defend humanity even by pointing out its flaw. There're no words I can say to show how impressed I am towards you."** Yosuke could feel Souji was smiling from beneath his mask. **"I've made a right choice to pass the leadership upon you…"**

Then Souji pointed his Amenonuhoko towards Yosuke. **"But idealism isn't enough to prove your words! I want a solid proof! I want you…"** his demonic yellow eyes glowed in the eye-sockets of his mask. **"…to show me your determination from your action! Fight me, and prove your words are something to be believed! Come on! Show me the resolve of a man I have trusted!"** he declared.

"Very well, partner…" Yosuke nodded. "I will show you how right I am!" he prepared a battle stance. "I will show you what the truth truly is!"

**"Show me your resolve, Hanamura Yosuke… show me if your idealism is truly worthy to save the humanity, something that both of us had sworn to protect…"** battle aura was emanated from Souji's body.

"I will show you my 'truth'!" Yosuke glowered before his body released bluish aura before a card appeared in front of him. "I will show you why the humanity is worth to protect… even by putting my life on stake!"

A card also appeared in front of Souji. Simultaneously, they crushed the cards, summoning their respective Personas.

"Persona!"

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. After having some hard times by having a staggering amount of assignments, I finally have a time to update this story. Sorry if this update takes a long time, but hey, it's finally updated to be read and reviewed! I'm ready to have reviews from the readers! I am happy to receive quite many reviews from the readers for the previous chapter. Oh, if you're wondering about what happen to Naoto's skin, it's because of a new technique she developed from her Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. She had made herself a new deadly technique by that and I'll explain that in the later chapter. I hope you will continue to support this story, and the last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	68. Clash of the Stars

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

Chapter 68: Clash of the Stars

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

At the time both Souji and Yosuke summoned their respective Personas, Izanagi and Susano-O, the building rumbled by their mere presence. Izanagi, the Persona of the Fool Arcana, the one who armed with Amenonuhoko raised the weapon as Susano-O of the Magician Arcana set up a magical barrier made by the air.

**"The destiny sets us to kill each other, Hanamura Yosuke!"** Souji said, spinning his naginata. **"I have given you a choice whether it is you or me! Now the time has come for you to give me your decision!"**

"I have made my decision!" Yosuke shouted. "You will see it! You will see what destiny had set upon us!" his yellow eyes were glistening before he put on the glasses on himself. "You will see the true meaning of 'fate'!"

**"Then, show me now!"** Souji replied before he dashed towards Yosuke, his naginata was raised, prepared to swing it down upon Yosuke.

Yosuke raised his Tamayorihime and both weapons collided, causing such a horrible clashing sound that could bring a normal mortal dying with fear by hearing it. They began to exchange slashes and parries with their weapons. Both of them were fighting like wild animals and people could have mistaken them to be ones by looking at them due to their ferocity while fighting each others.

"I am no longer a weak person you used to know, partner! I am different now!" Yosuke said, bringing down a stab from his kunai upon Souji. The masked warrior used the handle of his naginata to parry the stab before he used his bladed foot to kick Yosuke. The brunette combatant realized it, taking some steps aback to avoid the kick from ripping the content of his stomach out.

**"Being different is still the same if you can't even beat me!"** Souji taunted Yosuke. Two cards appeared in front of him before he crushed the cards with a swipe of his naginata, summoning Suzaku and Shiryu in a same time. The fiery phoenix flapped its wings, releasing a hellish inferno inside the classroom while the majestic dragon breathed out gust of wind to enhance the flame.

"Urgh!" Yosuke grunted as he felt the heat from the flame. "This is bad… he still can use multiple Personas…" Yosuke looked at Souji's glowing yellow eyes. "But there's no way I can lose here!" he closed his eyes while Susano-O was standing behind him, making a hand seal a ninja would do before he reopened his eyes, releasing a gust of wind towards the flame. The gust of wind then cleared his path towards Souji.

"Gaaahh!" he growled before he dashed towards Souji with such an inhuman speed, making Souji startled on how fast Yosuke could get towards him without being caught by the wild fire. Yosuke raised his sword before he brought it down to strike Souji. The masked warrior used Amenonuhoko to parry the strike before another exchanges of slashes and parries happened again.

It looked like they were fighting in the middle of hell, being surrounded by flame. Most of the chairs and desks were engulfed by flame, not to mention those other things being destroyed for being in the middle of those two combatants' way. But those combatants seemed unfazed by the heat and collateral damages they had done as they continued to battle each other to death.

"Gaaahh!" with a mighty strength, Yosuke kicked Souji on the stomach, sending him towards the wall. The force was too strong it made the wall cracked before he was thrown out from the building towards the outside. While still in the air, some visitors who were trying to escape from the school ground saw Souji.

"What's that?" one of the visitors shrieked.

"Oh my god! What the hell is that?"

"Oh good grief! Run!"

Souji spun in air before he landed on the ground gracefully, in the middle of the group of people. All eyes were on him.

"He looks terrible…"

"A monster!"

"He's the one who destroyed the building last time they attacked us!"

"He's a monster!"

All the eyes were looking at him accusingly like he was a terrible creature who shouldn't be allowed to live. Good thing he was wearing a mask so people wouldn't recognize him to be Seta Souji. In a brief moment, something flashed within his mind.

_"Am I a monster?"_

He felt he wasn't on the ground, being surrounded by those people anymore. Instead, he was standing on a white surface where he could see horizons everywhere.

_"I am… becoming the one I should fight?"_

"Graaah!"

The voice took him back into reality as he saw Yosuke jumped down from the building, armed with Tamayorihime, his former trademark weapon before he swung it down. Souji dodged the swing before he jumped backwards, landing on an electrical pole.

"Look! Hanamura Yosuke!"

"Kyaahh! He's here!"

"The Princess' Knight!"

"Ohh! I never thought he's this hot!"

Souji could see Yosuke was bewildered for some seconds as they heard those people were praising him.

_"You've turned into their hero, Yosuke…"_ inner Souji thought. _"You've turned into the people's hope. You're becoming a symbol of hope for those who thought they've lost it…"_

Souji looked on his palm.

_"And what have I done?"_

Without his notice, tears came out from his eyes, trickled down from his eye-sockets of his mask.

_"I have become something I hated…"_

His yellow eyes turned back into their genuine color, the shade of deep silver, the color of steel.

_"I am a monster…"_

"Don't just stand there!"

Souji's eyes reverted back into yellow as Yosuke jumped high with both his kunai and Tamayorihime prepared in his hands. Souji raised his naginata before he swung it horizontally as Yosuke was still hovering in the air. Despite having no way to move freely in air, Yosuke decided to take the blow by parrying it.

Tang!

Despite being able to parry the attack, he was sent flying by the blow towards a tree. He was slammed hard on the tree and the other visitors winced as they saw their hero was thrown away by his enemy.

"Watch yourself, Souji…"

Souji's eyes widened in bewilderment as he saw Yosuke's smile before he realized what he meant. He looked below and saw some explosion charms stuck on top of the pole where he was standing on. He made a full somersault before he jumped down and the peak of the pole exploded.

Boom!

He landed gracefully on the ground before he spun his naginata. Yosuke managed to stand on his feet before he went in front of Souji.

"I'm fond in using those charms anyway…" Yosuke said, assuming his battle stance. "It's not like I love using it though…" he tightened his grip on his weapons. "I just have to find a good way to win against you…"

_"To win… against me?"_

A card appeared in front of Yosuke before he caught it with his hand. Blue flame seemed to catch the card before he crushed it with his hand in a similar fashion as Souji some time ago.

"Persona!"

Susano-O appeared behind Yosuke before he raised his massive shuriken and threw it towards Souji.

Electricity flickered on Souji's body before the blade of his naginata was charged by the current.

_"What's my… intention again?"_

He leaped forwards with his naginata prepared in his hands to face the incoming shuriken.

_"I've changed…"_

**"Autumn Shower!"**

He swung his naginata downwards and numerous arcs formed in air.

_"My reasons…"_

The force of his technique collided with the massive shuriken, causing another explosion which made the visitors scrambled out from the debris' path.

_"This is not my reason at all…"_

Both Yosuke and Souji leaped towards the cloud of debris and dust before they swung their respective weapons towards each other and their weapons collided.

_"This is not what I want…"_

In the cloud of dust, they exchanged slashes and parries again. In each parry, lightning could be seen from outside of the cloud. The visitors went for hiding so they couldn't be hit by the debris from the battle.

_"My motives…"_

**"Izanagi!"**

Souji summoned Izanagi and the Persona fired out a very powerful lightning towards Yosuke. Yosuke dodged the lightning as he dashed towards Souji.

_"They have decayed. I have changed…"_

Clang!

Both Souji and Yosuke locked their weapons as they collided.

_"I have changed into a monster I hated…"_

~darkness~

Amagi Yuriko was sitting in seiza position while Gin was leaning against the wall. They were currently at Tatsuhime Shrine.

"The stars…" Yuriko said, closing her eyes before she reopened them again to reveal a pair of glowing red orbs. "They've appeared at last…"

Gin sighed before he yawned. Then he looked at Yurie. "Do you have any idea about who will survive?"

Yurie shook her head. "Even though I am the one who holds the Oracle of Izanagi, I can't even foresee something that is unpredictable. It's like… both of those boys are the choices for the fate. One shall survive, and the other shall perish…"

"But, you truly know the consequence for everything, right?" Gin asked. "If Hanamura Yosuke dies, due to the contract he made with Princess, we'll lose our hope… and we'll be overpowered by the Serpent Tail…" then, he cleared his throat before he continued. "And if Seta Souji dies, what will happen to your daughter?"

"Oji-san…" Yuriko sighed. "Fate is something predestined, and any attempt to change it may cause the flow of events of the world turns… into something that can't even be foreseen…" Yuriko said. "But the consequence isn't something that has been fixed either. It may be good or bad…"

"Haha, I know that…" Gin chuckled. "Are you forgetting who I am?"

"Of course not, Susano-O Kami-sama…" Yuriko said, smiling. "Having you as a part of my family sure gives me some kind of divinity within my veins, along with my daughter…" her red eyes reverted back into deep black eyes. "So, let us pray if those two have found a third option, the consequence is good rather than the bad one…"

"So you're counting on luck, right?" Gin asked, grinning.

"Luck is also one aspect of winning, Oji-san…" Yuriko replied. "Praying for a good luck is the best thing we can do right now…"

~darkness~

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!"

A dozen of zombies were cleaved into several pieces as some rays which were released from Naoto's back went through them. Some blue smoke was still released from her body. As she shot at some other zombies, she quickly glanced at Kanji who went on his way beating some zombies senselessly.

"You're doing it great, Kanji-kun…" Naoto commented. Kanji stopped for a while after tossing an unfortunate zombie away and blushed.

"Uh… that's cool…" Kanji replied before he saw something from Naoto's back. "Naoto! Watch out!"

Naoto turned back and saw a couple of zombies leaped towards her, trying to ambush her from behind. She tried to protect herself but they managed to catch her. They managed to bring Naoto down.

"Urgh!" Naoto grunted as those zombies piled on her.

"Naoto!" Kanji shouted.

As those zombies moaned in satisfaction as they managed to bring Naoto down, suddenly countless shining blue spikes emerged from their body before Naoto rolled her body from beneath their bodies, shredding their bodies into pieces. Those zombies crumbled into pieces before Naoto got on her feet.

"T-That's…" Kanji was looking at Naoto with awe. "That's… amazing!"

Naoto moved her limbs a bit before she smiled. Her black skin turned back into its normal shade. "I used Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi as armor on my body. Any physical contact from the enemies will be nullified, and they may get counterattacked. But it's tiring nonetheless…" she sighed.

"Don't overexert yourself, Naoto…" Kanji said, smiling.

Naoto stared at Kanji. Then the detective chuckled.

"W-What's so funny?" Kanji asked, flustered.

"N-No… nothing at all…" Naoto said, still chuckling. "Y-You're just being nice, that's all…" then, she gave Kanji a slight smile. "And I like it."

"E-Eh?" Kanji's face reddened.

"Okay, let's proceed with our mission, Kanji-kun. I'm sure there're no more victims in the facility. It's time to teach those morons of Serpent Tail some valuable lessons…" Naoto said, reloading her revolver. Then she pulled out her wakizashi which was hanging on her waist. "We'll teach them about how bad the consequence they can get by opposing us!"

Kanji who had recovered from his dazed state grinned before he punched his palm in anticipation. "Hehe, count me in!"

"My, my… so I'm quite lucky here…"

Both Kanji and Naoto heard the voice and turned to its source, only to find Michael who clad in black trench coat. The adjutant of Greed was holding his scythe.

"Michael…" Naoto spoke. "Long time no see…" Naoto tried to smile. "Are you missing us?" she tried to taunt the Serpent Tail by speaking sarcastically.

"Good try, Shirogane! But you're not good at that!" Michael pointed his weapon towards both Naoto and Kanji. "Today is the day of Serpent Tail's hailing upon the world! And today, I can personally take one of my enemies' head as trophy!" he was grinning like an insane man. "And I prefer your head, Shirogane Naoto…"

"To hell with that bullshit!" Kanji bellowed. "You're not taking anything!" he raised his fist as he growled like a wild beast. "It's us who will take your head from you!"

"Kanji-kun…" Naoto looked at the bleached-haired man beside her.

"Well, try then…" Michael said mockingly.

"Hehe, I'll make sure you'll regret it, dumbass…" Kanji said, cracking his fingers.

"Kanji-kun, step aside…"

"Huh?" Kanji turned behind and saw a determined look from Naoto.

"This is my battle, Kanji-kun. I'll make him regret for what he's saying. Plus…" Naoto smiled in anticipation. "I'm eager to use my new technique against him…"

"Naoto…" Kanji seemed dazed for a moment before he closed his eyes. "Be careful. I'll go kicking some zombies' asses…" he went away and yelled while swinging around the desk in his hands. He decimated every zombie in his way.

"Are you sure to challenge me by yourself?" Michael asked.

"I'm sure…" Naoto nodded. She smiled confidently before her skin turned black as blue smoke was released from her body. "Because no matter how much I think about it, I'll be the one who will win…"

"Hmph!" Michael grunted. "Now you're being overconfident. I wonder where it comes from…" he assumed his battle stance.

"It comes from my belief…" Naoto simply replied. "I believe I'll win against you. I'm sure I can defeat you today."

"Huh, big talk…" Michael said. "Okay, if you say so, let's begin!"

~darkness~

There was a cowboy fight occurred on the rooftop of the building between Takaya and Akihiko. They evaded and shot bullets to each other without showing any sign of exhaustion or hesitation. Fuuka was hiding behind a water reservoir nearby.

"S-Senpai…" Fuuka squeaked. She clutched her shoulder which was wounded by Takaya's gunshot earlier. She felt no pain anymore because Akihiko had healed the wound but she still felt numb from it.

"More! More!" Takaya shouted maniacally. "Show me more your hatred to me! Show me that priceless expression, the same one you'd shown to me that day!" he shot at Akihiko and the police officer evaded the bullet by a thin margin.

"Haven't I said to you that I won't kill you with hatred?" Akihiko snarled before he shot out an electrified bullet towards Takaya. The adjutant of Pride ducked to dodge the bullet. Then Akihiko continued, "I'll kill you so you won't be able to harm any of my friends!"

"Is that an excuse?" Takaya asked, grinning smugly.

"No!" Akihiko replied before he put the tip of his Evoker on his forehead. "Persona!"

Caesar appeared above Akihiko before the Persona of the Emperor Arcana released a barrage of lightning towards Takaya. The yellow-haired man barely dodged the strikes as he rolled and ducked to avoid them. Then Caesar raised his sword before he brought it down and struck Takaya.

"Well… no matter what intention you have…" Takaya said, withstanding the heavy force of Caesar's massive sword with his left arm. "You still feel the lost, right? I'm your friend's killer, and that's enough to bring justification for you to kill me, right? Ah… now that's what we call 'human's flaw'…" he said with a gleeful amusement. Then he pushed the sword upwards and Caesar disappeared. "There's no need for you to have reasons if you already have something simpler than that…" he grinned.

"What the hell are you talking about, you son of a bitch?" Akihiko said, gripping tight his Evoker and revolver.

"Don't deceive yourself, Sanada Akihiko. Deeper in your heart, you're dying to kill me with your hands. Not because of your responsibility, nor your necessity…" Takaya made a casual gesture. "It's because of simpler human's traits… natural human's instinct. Hatred, violence, greed, anger, so on…" he said. "That's what you call as 'human's fatal sins'. And yet, you, I, and everyone else are made by them. We're made essentially by our own sins! Those bullcraps like responsibility, rules, virtues, yadda yadda yadda… they're just something that make this world in order, to deceive all of you! This world should be in chaos! Only those who're strongest must stand, and the weaker must fall and being stepped on!"

Akihiko growled. "Don't give me such pointless sermons! Fatal sins, huh? To hell with that! You never know how to feel, right? You don't know what people feel except pain and suffering? You don't know how to CARE?" he shouted.

Takaya's eyes widened. The word 'care' seemed to put some impacts on him.

"Back at that day, that computer freak with you, Jin…" Akihiko said. "He's devoted to you. He's willing to sacrifice himself for your cause. Do you know how did he die? He KILLED himself? Can't you even feel it?" he shouted, tears came out from his eyes.

"…" Takaya remained silent and unfazed.

"And Chidori. She was also one of you. She, along with Jin, might probably share your pain because of your force-installed Personas. Have you feel anything when she died to save Junpei? Do you feel anything when you saw someone who shared a same view, same idea, and same fate, died just like THAT? CAN you feel ANYTHING?"

There's was a long pause before Takaya finally replied. "Since the day we escaped that hell…" he said solemnly. "I couldn't feel the warmth. It felt cold… and it will always be…" he looked at Akihiko with a pair of golden eyes, not looked vicious and prideful anymore, but more to sorrowful. A tinge of cruelty still could be felt, but there's a pang of sadness inside those golden eyes.

"Now where are we?" Takaya raised his revolver. "Let's start it again, shall we?"

~darkness~

Hello, it's me Albireo Imma. I'm glad to receive some reviews from the readers. About the hell Takaya mentioned is about when he and his two companions (Jin and Chidori) escaped Kirijo Corporation's facility. Okay, there are not many I want to say here, and as usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	69. The Death of Star

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 69: The Death of Star

Two combatants from two different sides, the traitorous masked-warrior who wielded a wicked-looking naginata, Seta Souji and the black-cloaked katana-and-kunai-wielding ninja with dashing brunette hair, Hanamura Yosuke were having such an intense battle in the school ground. Those who managed to escape the ruined school couldn't help but be awed by their intense battle.

"This battle won't last long, Souji! This battle will end sooner or later!" Yosuke exclaimed as he casted his powerful wind spell by using his Persona, creating claw-shaped arcs which left their trails on the ground. Souji just simply flipped behind and landed on an electric pole.

**"Of course it won't last long, Yosuke! It's either you, or me who will die!"** Souji bellowed with his demonic voice before he summoned Izanagi of the Fool Arcana. **"If you wish to be the one, be my guest and stay there so I can kill you!"** the masked Persona brought his long naginata down towards Yosuke.

"In your dream, partner!" Yosuke declared as he rolled aside. "I won't be killed today! Not by you!" he shouted.

**"Then, kill me! If you wish to see the sunrise for tomorrow, use the sword I gave to you,"** Souji placed his hand on his chest. **"End my life, here and now, if you dare, or can! Show me the resolve of a man whom I chose to lead your friends!"**

"Screw that! You will see…" Yosuke growled before his body released some kind of azure-colored glow. "You will see what I can do! You will see my strength! You will see my resolve you once embodied! Susano-O!" he summoned Susano-O, a Persona of the Magician Arcana. The humanoid ethereal creature glanced at Yosuke before he nodded curtly and casted a powerful gust of wind towards Souji.

The wind was too strong it made all the survivors scurried around searching for a hiding place. Despite unfazed by the strong gust of wind, Souji leaped behind before electricity flickered on his body as he muttered. **"Autumn sure is great with strong wind, isn't it?"** he raised his naginata before he shouted in his demonic voice. **"Autumn Shower!"** the spear released such brilliant light before Souji leaped towards Yosuke. He swung his naginata onto Yosuke and the brunette man parried it, making such horrible slashing sound of two metals colliding onto each other.

As Souji returned to stand on the ground, they were having a close combat again, exchanging slashes and parries. Souji swung his spear diagonally and Yosuke ducked before he launched a punch on Souji's torso. Being a powerful fighter as him, Souji managed to block the punch with his other free hand.

**"Come on, Hanamura Yosuke! Is that the only thing you can do? Don't disappoint me, former comrade!"** Souji said before he grabbed Yosuke's head, catching the man in surprise before the masked warrior brought the man's head down, slamming it onto the pavement. A crater was formed as Yosuke's face met the ground.

"I won't disappoint you, former comrade…" Yosuke hissed before he grabbed Souji's hand that was holding his head on the ground and then he immediately stood up. "It seems you won't be using this hand for quite some times, partner…" he landed a powerful blow on Souji's arm which he was holding and a loud and painful crack was heard.

Souji's yellow eyes could be seen visibly enlarged before he let out a demonic cry. Yosuke had broken his left hand. Before Souji could take his chance to heal the broken bone, Yosuke landed a powerful kick on Souji's torso, sending him flying towards a nearby tree.

**"That was… painful…"** then Souji commented before he slowly stood up. His left arm was broken judging from its look. He was holding his naginata with his remaining hand, namely his right one. **"It doesn't matter, though. At least you're not disappointing me after all, Yosuke…"** judging from his voice, Yosuke could mentally imagine a twisted and malevolent smirk beneath Souji's mask. **"I still can fight you with my right hand, so beware. Having me being handicapped doesn't mean that you're already winning this battle,"** Souji said.

"Thanks for the advice, partner…" Yosuke replied with a seemingly-confident smirk plastered on his face. "So, let's start it again!" he dashed towards Souji with both his kunai and katana prepared.

**"My pleasure!" **Souji shouted as he dashed towards Yosuke as well. As their respective weapons collided, a fierce battle resumed.

~darkness~

Naoto shot at Michael who then dodged the bullets before the adjutant of Greed dashed towards Naoto and swung his sinister scythe. Despite not being fully-trained for a close combat, Naoto used her wakizashi to parry the attack. The detective took her chance to shoot the adjutant.

"You've gone stronger, Shirogane Naoto! I wonder if it has something to do with your brother!" Michael remarked as he grinned. He dodged the bullets again but stay in a close range with Naoto.

"Yes he is, and you have no right to mention him!" Naoto bellowed before the smoke that was released from her blackened body thickened. "You will see why I am proud to be his sister!" several dagger-sized spikes emerged out from her forelimbs before she rammed them onto Michael's scythe.

Michael could hear a hissing sound as the dagger-like spikes collided with his scythe before he found out that the metal began to melt as like it was a candle being put under heat. Hastily, Michael pulled his scythe away as he reassumed his battle stance. "So that's the darkest mystery of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the mythical sword Orochi-sama had sought since the beginning of the conflict. It consists of dark material, the one that purges anything in its path…" somehow, Michael's smirk grew bigger. "Put it into simpler term, you have some kind of mini black hole kept inside your body."

"I realized it as well…" Naoto's skin reverted back into normal. "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi can be termed as an enemy of existence itself. No weapons or shields can withstand it in its wake, not even Yata-no-Kagami." A dagger-sized laser-like blade emerged from her right hand. "With it, I'm unbeatable," she gave the adjutant a confident and mocking smile.

"Yeah? Unbeatable, but not undefeatable…" Michael remarked before he spun his scythe around before he raised it above his head. "I will show you the true strength of Greed!" he snarled before several curved blades emerged from his body. They popped out like blades being stabbed through meats. As the transformation completed, Michael had changed into some kind of human-hedgehog hybrid with dagger spikes. His eyes were glowing red before he spoke in inhumanly voice. **"You will see the true meaning of undefeatable. I will collect your punctured dead body after this. It will look good as a collection,"** he smiled evilly, revealing his sharp fangs.

Naoto winced. "So that's the power you got from pledging yourself with that snake, am I right?" she asked. Then her skin turned black again. "I hope Senpai won't go as far as you, monster…" she aimed her revolver towards the monstrous-looking man who was Michael. "Yamato Takeru!" she shouted before the Persona of the Fortune Arcana, Yamato Takeru appeared, shimmering in her glorious form as she looked at Naoto before she nodded. She raised her long katana before it glowed with such brilliant azure light. "Megidolean!"

Yamato Takeru swung down her sword, releasing a massive wave of red pure energy towards the hedgehog person. Michael smirked before he curled like a ball, or rather a big spiky ball and rolled towards Naoto.

**"Die, detective!"** Michael barked gleefully as he rolled towards Naoto. The detective fired several plasma-like bullets but was surprised as the rolling porcupine man was unfazed by her assault.

"It can't be…" Naoto uttered in disbelief before the spiky ball of porcupine person crashed onto her. "Urgh!" she was sent slammed onto a concrete wall. Kanji who was kicking some zombie's asses realized what had happened. As Michael managed to bring Naoto towards the wall, he jumped backwards, moving away from Naoto.

"Naoto!" Kanji shouted.

"Oww… it hurts…" Naoto winced as she got up. Her skin was no longer black, but bruises and scratches were seen on her face and body. A portion of her clothes was damaged due to Michael's assault and her stomach (by the way, was scratched and bruised) was exposed. Kanji was staring at her exposed stomach and she hastily covered it with her hands. "No staring, Kanji!" she said as her face reddened.

"S-Sorry! Back to kicking ass I go!" Kanji said apologetically before he continued to plough on the zombies like they were grass that should be cut. Naoto turned her attention towards Michael who had turned into a monster.

**"You're quite feisty, Shirogane Naoto. I bet you can be my good asset if you're not to be killed today,"** Michael said with such greedy expression.

"Stop sprouting nonsense, porcupine freak," Naoto said, reloading her revolver. "There are two possible assets you can get from me today, namely my bullets or my blade," she aimed her revolver towards Michael before he skin turned dark again. But this time, the tone of her skin color was lighter than earlier.

**"You're running out of energy, aren't you? See, you're not unbeatable after all,"** Michael said arrogantly. **"Take some more times, and you can get your whole energy wiped out for good, smart girl."** Michael smiled grotesquely. **"Unlike you, my demon form won't eat my energy. I am invincible…"**

"It'll be enough to kill a freak like you, Michael. I want to fight you as a human, not a monster that I could usually see from a B-grade children show," Naoto remarked. "Does it take you a masked sentai hero to show up and kick your spiky butt? I hope it doesn't or I can't find any reason to be completely serious in this fight."

**"Heh, saying that tough and yet, you're the one who was injured by my attack. But I don't. Your irresistible power can't even put any harm on me, heh…"** Michael smirked smugly.

"It has to be an explanation somehow…" Naoto said. "And it has something to do with your rolling," she said again. "My power is anti-material, it can undo any kind of material by a mere contact, but it doesn't apply when it's not static. So, as long as you are not moving, you are the same just like anything I've melted before…" she smirked confidently before she released several azure rays towards Michael.

Despite having several spikes that might weigh several pounds, Michael evaded those death rays like those spikes were nothing but sponges. **"It doesn't count if I can move, right? There's no way I can stop myself if you've found my weakness from it!"** then he curled again into spiky ball before he rolled around Naoto to confuse her.

Naoto tried to evade every of Michael's spiky assault, but she grunted as the spiky ball grazed on her body. She tried to attack the incoming ball of spikes with her wakizashi, but the short blade was thrown away as it failed to put even a scratch on Michael's body. The spiky ball took another turn before it slammed onto Naoto.

"Aarghh!" Naoto let out a scream of pain. Kanji heard that as he tore a zombie's head apart from its body.

"Naoto!" Kanji shouted. "Hang in there, I'll save you!" Kanji threw the beheaded zombie's body before he dashed towards the place where Naoto was. Naoto was injured by the last attack.

"Kanji-kun, I'm alright…" Naoto said as she tried to get up, but she felt like her body was heavier like a lead. "I-I still can fight…"

"You can't fight in this condition, you idiot!" Kanji shouted. "Look, stay there and let me take it from here!" he stood up and faced Michael. "You're going down, you spiky scumbag…" he cracked his fingers before he roared. "Gaaaahh!" he dashed towards Michael.

**"Attacking without making any calculation, how barbaric," **Michael commented, seemingly amused as Kanji blindly charged towards him. **"Well, muscle fight doesn't hurt too…"** he shrugged before he dashed towards Kanji as well.

"Eat my fist!" Kanji bellowed as he launched a punch towards Michael, but as the punch connected with his face, he seemed unfazed. Kanji was surprised by this.

**"Good punch,"** Michael remarked. **"But I have better…"** he launched a more powerful punch onto Kanji's face, sending him flying behind.

"Urgh!" Kanji grunted as his back touched the wall.

**"So, what do you have now?"** Michael said mockingly towards the duo.

"I still can fight…" Naoto finally stood up, not without some visible wounds on her torso and her face. "I will make you suffer for this, monster. You have hurt one of my precious friends. I will make you suffer for this…" she said grimly before her skin turned black again. Her blood also turned into sticky and oily substance which was black in color. "I will kill you, Michael!" she dashed towards Michael without her signature revolver or wakizashi, but with an energy blade which emerged from her wrist.

**"So you've lost your mind too, Shirogane Naoto. Blindly attacking me, how stupid a human being can get if there's no more hope left?"** Michael said, sneering, standing immobile. But then, he felt a very painful sensation.

"You forget one crucial thing while fighting a weaker opponent…" Naoto said, her energy blade was penetrating through Michael's flesh. Michael's eyes widened in horror as blood flowed out from his wound. "Stop underestimating your opponent…"

As Naoto said it, she twisted the blade.

A sharp shriek was heard.

~darkness~

Five years ago, somewhere in a hotel…

"Hey, what're you staring at, huh? Do you wanna piece of me?" one tough-looking man with dark skin bellowed at one of the passers-by as he accompanied a man with silky suit entering the hotel. Some more men clad in black suits followed them.

"H-He's the gang boss of the Gold, right?"

"He's here? Unsupervised?"

"The authority's playing a risky game!"

The gang boss, Michael just snorted. He was the leader of the Gold Gang, a street gang that was infamous of several bank-robbery, human-trafficking, drug-smuggling and many crimes. Being a supreme boss of the gang gave him a rather luxurious life. Money, women and drugs, nothing was great compared to them.

"Let's chill here for a night, Dick…" Michael said coolly to his companion. "Those government sons and daughters of the bitches sure are clever enough despite being the pets of the government. We should assume to play it safe before we start it over again," he said, closing his eyes. They fled to Japan to hide from other threats.

"You said it, boss!" Dick said enthusiastically. They went to the counter for a room. The receptionist smiled to them before she bowed.

"Welcome! How we can help you two, sirs?" she asked in rather thick Kansai accent.

"A room, big and cozy, suitable for me…" Michael said as he stared at the receptionist girl. Despite being an American, he could speak Japanese fluently. His great-grandfather was a former Japanese soldier.

The receptionist stared at two of them before she spoke, still smiling, "I'm sorry, sir. It seems that there's no room for both of you…" she took out something which resembled a detonator before she pushed a button on it. "Great Japanese, though…"

Boom!

In a blink of the eye, everything was set in rubble. Screams of fear and terror were heard everywhere. Michael felt like a large boulder of concrete was on top of both his feet. "D-Dick!" he shouted before he touched something cold and… bloody. He didn't want to know that. He felt like his consciousness seeping away from his very own being.

_"Are you afraid of death, dear man?"_

Michael's eyes widened as he heard that hissing voice in his ears. He wished he could see the one that spoke to him but his vision gone blurrier. "What happened?"

_"Do you think it's unfair for you to die in such way?"_

"I d-don't want to die…" Michael muttered. "I w-want to own everything in this world. I will rule this world!" he said.

_"Very well. Then, will you serve me then, considering that I wish to have you as one of my people?"_

"Who are you?" Michael responded to the hissing voice.

_"That question can only be answered if I get a yes from you…"_

"Y-Yes! I want to live! I want to live!" Michael said hysterically.

_"And then, the thing that you'll have to do is to call me 'Master'…"_

"Master…"

~darkness~

"Master…" Michael muttered as he was on the floor. His spikes had vanished, leaving some grotesque-looking holes around his body. Naoto was standing near him, aiming her revolver on his head. Kanji was standing beside her.

"Any last word, Michael?" Naoto asked.

Michael snickered before he said. "You've done well, Shirogane Naoto. You've beaten me into this state, and you essentially own my life. But I am wondering if you can manage yourself for killing me…" Michael was smirking.

Naoto was silent for a while before she replied. "I have to admit, I've never killed a human being before. Yes, I've hurt them, but never killed them. But…" her finger was prepared to pull the trigger. "I will end your life, here and now."

"Good choice, smart girl. But… if you kill me, your life won't be the same again. You will be haunted by the memory of the one you killed, and you won't be able to forget it for the rest of your life…" Michael said.

"It's fair enough…" Naoto said. "Minato-san, Ryoji-san, or maybe Souji-senpai and Yosuke-senpai, they might have killed people before. I will endure it somehow…" she closed her eyes before he pulled the trigger.

"Good choice, Naoto, good choice. Your brother will be proud…"

Bang!

Naoto sighed before she took out a lighter out from her jacket and burned the lifeless body of Michael. By killing Michael, the Serpent Tail had no longer its regeneration factor of reviving its dead members.

"Kanji-kun," Naoto turned to Kanji. "Thanks for today…" she smiled before she fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Naoto!"

~darkness~

Oh, it's time for a real show…" Ryoji remarked before he grinned to Orochi. He parried his last attack before he spoke, "Well, it was fun fighting with you, snake guy…" with a poof, he vanished into thin air, leaving Orochi in bemused state.

"…" Orochi couldn't say anything with that.

~darkness~

Souji and Yosuke were still attacking each other. Despite having one of his hands crippled, Souji was still on par with Yosuke. The survivors were taken outside the school ground by the police for their safety. No one ever disturbed the battle between two combatants.

**"Why don't you kill me, Yosuke? I've given you many chances to end my life here, and yet you left the chances just like that. Are you trying to kill yourself, then?"** Souji asked as he battled Yosuke. The brunette man parried the attack before he threw his kunai towards Souji. The masked warrior deflected the kunai easily with a swing of his naginata.

"Like I've said, I won't be killed today, not by you!" Yosuke exclaimed before he summoned a powerful gust of wind with Susano-O. It was more powerful than earlier it gave Souji some troubles withstanding it. He felt like a portion of his metal helmet was damaged by the wind. His body was injured by the razor-sharp wind as well.

**"I don't understand you! Why do not you kill me, and yet denying that you wish to die? This is very strange! Too strange!"** Souji snarled before he threw his naginata, pinning Yosuke's shoulder. Yosuke grunted as the blade pierced through the flesh of his shoulder. He was taken aback but it didn't stop him from charging towards his old friend.

"Because I still have something in my mind!" Yosuke bellowed before he swung his blade. Without his naginata, Souji couldn't block the attack and helplessly saw his remaining intact arm, which was his right arm was cut clean.

As Souji was fazed by the fact that he could no longer use his arms, Yosuke took his chance to cleave his helmet, revealing his face and then kicked him behind. Souji's yellow eyes then changed from yellow into their silvery shade, their original color. A satisfied smile, a benevolent smile that could be seen on Souji's face, a same smile he wore several years ago.

"Thank you, Yosuke…" Souji said, closing his eyes in satisfaction. "Kill me now and realized the prophecy…" he prepared himself to be killed by Yosuke, his old friend by using his old weapon, Tamayorihime.

Supp!

Souji's eyes widened. The blade was clearly getting into his flesh, but it didn't have fatal effect. The thing that surprised him was that he saw a familiar blonde-haired boy in white standing in front of him, having Tamayorihime pierced though his chest and had its tip pierced slightly into Souji's chest.

"I'm glad to see you again, sensei…"

"T-Teddie?" Souji was surprised.

Despite being stabbed though his chest, Teddie seemed unfazed but he clearly looked pale. The blonde-haired pretty boy glanced at Yosuke before he thanked him.

"Thank you, Yosuke…" he said with teary eyes. "At last, I can be with sensei in his heart…" he smiled happily.

"Thanks, Teddie…" Yosuke nodded. Tears rolled on his cheeks as well. Then Teddie's body began to disintegrate. "I'm sorry for involving you into this. Can you please do it well inside him, okay?"

"I promise," Teddie said with a last smile before he completely vanished. Souji was too stunned by the event.

_"What the hell?"_

~darkness~

Finally, I managed to update this story! Sorry for those who are waiting for the update! I have to deal with many assignments so I don't have much time to deal with this story. Okay, if you are confused with the ending of this story, please wait for the next chapter because I will explain it there. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	70. You Are In Charge

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 70: You Are In Charge

Both Akihiko and Takaya were having an intense gun battle as bullets flew everywhere. Fuuka took cover, hoping that she wouldn't be hit by some stray bullets. Both combatants were efficiently dodging their adversary's attack before Takaya abruptly stopped.

By seeing Takaya stopped his assault, Akihiko brought his revolver down. Takaya was putting his hand on his temple before he muttered something. After that, he looked at the white-haired police officer before he said, "We've lost to you people today. One of us was murdered and another one…" he closed his golden eyes. "…wouldn't with us anymore…"

"So, what're you thinking now? Are you thinking to get away after leaving us this mess?" Akihiko asked, reloading his revolver before he aimed at Takaya. "You won't get away from me, alive!"

"Not today, brat…" Takaya replied, giving an enigmatic grin before his body was surrounded by a black column which then turned into a black cocoon. "Not today…" then the cocoon vanished into thin air. Akihiko let out a heavy sigh before he fell to his knee, seemingly exhausted.

"S-Senpai!" Fuuka came out from her hiding and went to the policeman's side. "Are you okay? You don't look so good," Fuuka said, putting her hand on Akihiko's shoulder. "You've got grazes all over your body!"

Despite being exhausted, Akihiko let out a chuckle. "It seems I've overdone it. Maybe my body isn't quite suitable for this new kind of strain," he coughed.

"D-Don't speak too much! You're-… eh?" then, Fuuka realized something. "New kind of strain? What do you mean, senpai?" she asked, seemingly confused.

Akihiko clenched his fist. "Electricity is some kind of energy. If I can convert it into a new form of energy, I wonder how far it can be?" he grinned. "By charging my muscle with electricity, maybe I can increase my reflex…" he said.

Fuuka gave her best face-fault and she exclaimed, "SCIENCE doesn't work that way!"

Akihiko chuckled before he said, "I think you're right, Fuuka. And I need someone to help me to stand up. I wonder what happened below us…"

"T-They won the battle," Fuuka replied, helping Akihiko to stand. "The zombies are retreating and the remaining members of the Serpent Tail escaped the facility. One of them is killed by Naoto-kun and one of them…" she was trying to find suitable words to explain that. "One of them is taken into our custody," she continued.

"So… is it Souji?" Akihiko asked. "Did they make it?"

Fuuka nodded. "Yosuke-kun defeated him, but…" her body was shaken. "…but, T-Teddie-kun…" she choked as tears rolled on her cheeks.

"Indeed, that's our plan…"

Both Fuuka and Akihiko turned around and saw Ryoji with his silver sword rested on his shoulder. His face seemed solemn, seemingly different compared to his usual smug expression.

"Ryoji-kun?" Fuuka frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'd done several researches about the properties of Shadows. Teddie is a Shadow that had taken a human shape. He lived on the surface world instead of lurking in the deepest part of human heart," Ryoji began his explanation. "Souji suffered some kind of Shadow corruption within himself, so he needs something that can prevent the corruption, something that can remind him that he's a human…"

"So, you prefer Teddie-kun as a sacrificial goat?" Fuuka asked. "Why would you do that?" she asked.

"It's because Teddie can be defined as both a 'human' and a 'Shadow'. He got a heart of human, and a body of Shadow. With that, he can enter Souji's heart without causing any kind of corruption," Ryoji explained.

"But you let Teddie-kun killed! How can you allow such thing to happen?" Fuuka exclaimed furiously.

"A Shadow is never truly killed. The Shadow is some kind of energy that is culminated from human's deepest desire. So, Teddie is never truly killed. He's inside Souji…" Ryoji said.

"Inside… him?" Akihiko frowned. "Explain."

Ryoji cleared his throat before he began, "A Shadow is connectable to people's heart, so by giving an access for a Shadow to enter someone's heart and denying its existence on the surface world, a fusion can happen. A place where Shadow is truly belongs to is human's heart. Let just think of it as some kind of positive outcome of 'Apathy Syndrome'…"

"But why should you do this? Isn't there any other way to save Souji-kun from corruption?" Fuuka asked.

"I'm afraid…" Ryoji closed his eyes. "It's the only way to save him from falling deeper into a pit of darkness…"

~darkness~

The long battle had ended and several casualties had been recorded. Michael's remain was burned by Naoto, but the burned carcass was brought back into Kirijo's Research Facility to make some research regarding the body condition of the adjutants of Orochi. Because of the incident, the school ground was closed for public. Some heavily-armed soldiers were dispatched into the area.

Shortly after the battle, the newly-taken-into-custody Souji had been put into induced coma by Yosuke. Only Ryoji knew about how Yosuke put Souji into such state, but one could predict as the unconscious Souji had his face bruised, indicating that he was punched several times on his face. For safety measure, he was put into a special ward that was guarded by several armed soldiers. Yukiko's mother, the priestess of Tatsuhime, Yuriko had put a repelling charm on Souji's body if something bad happened.

The event soon was known by many people all over the country. It became a main headline in the news. Chie, the well-known member of Serpent Eaters had been hunted by media because of that. Luckily, Yosuke was with her for safety control.

The current whereabouts of Serpent Tail and Orochi were unknown, but the Eaters were working for it. Soon after that, Gin went missing and Yosuke was the one who knew the reason of his missing. He truly knew that his master was doing something important.

Besides, all of them were quite shocked by Teddie's heart-wrenching departure. Even Chie and Yukiko went bitter towards Yosuke because technically, Yosuke was the one who killed the poor bear. But, after some good explanation from Ryoji, they finally understood about Yosuke's intention. But still, they were quite angry towards him because of the plan that he never shared with them.

Moreover, Teddie was still alive inside Souji, living in his heart, literally. Because of Shadow's bizarre properties, he could venture into both human and subconscious world. He was inside Souji so he could put some sort of control towards Souji so he wouldn't be corrupted by his own darkness.

~darkness~

Two weeks had passed since the event. Yosuke, clad in his white shirt and red pants had his Tamayorihime dangled on his waist, walking at the corridor with Naoto walking alongside him. Some police officers gave them some sort of salutation as they walked. After that, they arrived in front of the special ward where Souji was located. The ward was guarded by a couple of armed soldiers.

"Let us enter. I want to see him," Yosuke spoke in serious manner. One of the guards nodded before they unlocked the door and opened it. Both Yosuke and Naoto entered the room.

Lying on the bed was Souji with his sleep-deprived face. His left hand seemed to be oddly framed as his right hand was… missing. It was Yosuke who cut his hand. Souji acknowledged their presence with a slight nod. No smile curved on his lips.

"Get enough sleep, traitor?" Yosuke asked with deep voice.

"You think?" Souji replied with a question. "Isn't it obvious?"

Naoto sighed before she asked, "Senpai, how are you?" she sounded concerned.

"Aside of one missing hand, things are going quite smoothly. How are you, Naoto-kun?" Souji tried to sound friendly.

Naoto cleared her throat before she spoke, "I'm fine. Senpai, we're here to ask you something about the Serpent Tail. You've been with them for sometimes, so we assume you know something."

"That's my intention of joining them, Naoto-kun. I'm trying to get any informative knowledge about them," Souji said. "I've told most of them to Yosuke though."

"Can you walk?" suddenly Yosuke asked, making Souji frowned.

"With slight help, yes…" Souji nodded.

"Then, Naoto…" the brunette man looked at the detective. "Help him. We're bringing him outside. We will bring him to meet others…"

~darkness~

After several brief arguments with the guards, finally Yosuke and Naoto managed to bring Souji out from the ward with slight help. With the aid of wheelchair, Naoto brought Souji towards a direction of a room. As they arrived, Yosuke opened the door and they could hear several collective gasps.

"Welcome to reality, Seta Souji…" Yosuke said. "You better have some good damn explanation to them…" he added as he pointed to the group in the room.

Souji's eyes went wide as he saw what were inside the room. He saw the members of Serpent Eaters which consisted of SEES and his little Investigation Squad group. But his eyes were on one person as he saw her, Yukiko. Suddenly, he felt painful in his chest. He felt like he should get a shovel to make a hole so he could bury himself afterwards.

"H-Hi!" Souji said awkwardly.

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko spoke with melancholic voice before she rushed towards Souji, who slowly stood up with Naoto's help. Yukiko stood in front of Souji before she hugged him tightly. "Welcome back…"

Souji couldn't find any word to reply Yukiko's welcoming greet. Warmth which was radiated from Yukiko's body could be felt as Yukiko's chest touched his. He could hear Yukiko sobbed before he felt something came out from his eyes.

"Are you crying, Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked, caressing Souji's face.

"Yukiko… Yukiko…" Souji said. "I'm sorry, Yukiko…"

As Yukiko released her hug, she took several steps aback before she stared at Souji's face. Unexpectedly, she slapped Souji's face. The others could be seen visibly wincing.

"Oww… that hurts…" Souji commented.

"That's for leaving me heartbroken, Souji-kun! Do you know how painful it was when you left us? I thought you won't come back!" Yukiko exclaimed tearfully. "I'm going to slap you until your head turns into a fresh tomato!"

"Ehh?" Souji took several steps aback.

"Yukiko-senpai…" Naoto then spoke. "Do you forget our deal?" she asked, smirking. Yukiko nodded as she let Naoto stepped towards Souji. With a swift movement, she slapped Souji's face with the back of her hand.

"Oww! What was that for?" Souji protested.

"Do you know how painful it was when you nearly killed me at that time? And you almost killed Minato-san too!" Naoto exclaimed. "If I've got a chance, I'll put some holes on your head with my gun!"

"Naoto-kun, that's not nice, you know?" Chie interfered. She walked towards Souji before she smirked. "Souji-kun deserves more than that. He deserves a cracking on his balls…"

"What the?"

Krak!

"Guaaaahhhh!"

"Oh gosh, I'm going to pretend I'm not seeing it…"

"Heh, don't forget me! I think Senpai need some serious whacking on his head!"

"Urgh… K-Kanji-kun, no…"

Kang!

"Guehhh!"

"Hey guys! He seriously needs some rest!"

"Too bad, Yukari-san. I think he seriously needs some serious beatings!"

"N-No…"

Boom!

"Graaahhh!"

"I think I shall interfere…"

"A-Aigis-san…"

"Target unlocked. Automatic mode activated."

"Ehh?"

Badabadabadabadabada!

"Guaaaahhh!"

Sound of bullets clattering on the floor could be heard. So, all of them gave Souji some 'extra' punishments. Despite her protest, Yukari finally decided to make Souji into a piñata being wacked while being tied upside-down. After that, Akihiko suggested that Souji had to eat five hundreds pieces of sushi (extra wasabi) without any sign of stopping. Then, all of the other members of the Eaters gave their sweatdropped face as Mitsuru suggested that Souji should get a proper 'execution'.

Despite having a long day of hell, Souji couldn't complain and wouldn't complain. After all, he deserved them all. All his friends deserved to punish him for his reckless action of 'betrayal'. After encountering an 'execution' from Mitsuru, a form of punishment that only those who had experienced it sometimes ago could know, finally they gave Souji a proper rest. Yukiko wanted to share some moments with Souji after being left by him for quite a long time.

"Sorry if I hit your face too hard," Yukiko apologized as she helped Souji who was sitting on his wheelchair to move. "I didn't realize you lost your hand back then."

Souji could only let out a weak chuckle. "I deserved it, Yukiko. For the nasty things I've done, I deserved it. I had killed people at that time…"

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko stopped before she leaned in, whispering softly to Souji's ear, "People do mistake sometimes. As long as you admit that all those nasty actions as your mistakes, I'll forgive you…"

"Forgive me? How can you forgive me after all those horrible things?" Souji asked, seemingly confused.

Yukiko sighed as she closed her eyes. "When I saw you at that time, the time when you almost killed Naoto-kun, when I shouted at you, I saw the 'real' you. Not a Shadow self, but a 'real' you that I used to know. A kind-hearted, good, brave Seta Souji…" she said, smiling.

"Yukiko…" Souji looked at Yukiko's face before his eyes widened. He winced before he put his single left hand on his forehead. "Urgh!"

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko was panicked by Souji's sudden behavior. She thought that Souji might lose his control, so she instinctively took out her fans. Then, he stopped before he looked at Yukiko with a pair of glowing blue eyes.

Wait, glowing blue eyes?

"Ah, it feels good after all…" a childish voice came out from Souji's mouth, a voice that sounded familiar to Yukiko. Then, the blue-eyed Souji looked at Yukiko and said, "Hi, Yuki-chan!"

"Y-Yuki-chan?" Yukiko gasped before she finally knew it. "D-Don't tell me… you're Teddie?"

The blue-eyed Souji smiled brightly before he spoke. "Oh yeah, I'm inside Sensei and I'm using his body. I feel much better inside him!"

"Much better?" Yukiko frowned. "Sou-no, Teddie, what is this all about?" she asked.

"I think I should be the one who must explain it," a voice said. Both Souji (Teddie) and Yukiko looked up and saw Ryoji who was standing upside down. Ryoji jumped down from the ceiling and landed in front of Souji (still Teddie) and Yukiko. "It might sound dramatic from a boss from a lousy RPG…"

"Ryoji-kun, what happened to Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, what happened to Sensei and me?" Souji (still Teddie) asked.

"So it works after all…" Ryoji said, grinning. "To be fair, I'm afraid it won't work like this. Oh well, maybe it is better this way. Teddie is a Shadow, and you know about it. Souji's power is Shadow-based, so if someone like Teddie is put inside him, something like this may happen. After all, Teddie possesses his own personality, so it's easier for him to take control on Souji's body."

"So, does it have any ill effect on me?" suddenly, Souji turned into his original state as his eyes reverted from blue to silver.

"Ah, that's a good one. No ill effect whatsoever, but Teddie is free to take control upon your body. I bet that will be awkward for you…"

"I guess…" Souji nodded. "Maybe he'll take over my body if I'm asleep…"

"Snrk!" Yukiko covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter as she heard the idea.

"Will we be okay in this rate?" then, Souji's eyes turned blue again and sounded like Teddie.

"Apart of taking over Souji's body when he's asleep, I see no problem with that. Both of you are going to be o-kay," Ryoji said reassuringly. "Well, I hope you won't get in the way when Souji's doing his 'bonding' with her…"

"B-Bonding?" Yukiko blushed as she heard that. Souji who reverted into his original self, also had his face shaded with red.

"Well, I hope you're going to be just fine. If you've got problem with this 'body-sharing' thing, just ask me. See you later," Ryoji said before he left. He walked along the corridor before he saw a nurse, the one who was treating Minato. Ryoji smiled at her and the nurse returned the smile.

"Your piece is finally falling into its place, Izanami…" Ryoji said, still smirking. "The game will have to continue…"

"Indeed it will," the nurse who was Izanami in disguise spoke. "It is such a great achievement of humanity to finally defeat the 'seed' that I've implanted inside him, the darkest aspect of humanity that existed within the creator of humanity."

"So the creator made himself as a 'model' to create his creations, eh? Typical." Ryoji commented.

"It is the same reason about why the mother of darkness creates Shadows that resembled herself," Izanami winked. "We had done this before, but the subjects failed miserably. Only Seta Souji had come into this kind of level, defeating his dark self, or so he thought…" she smirked enigmatically.

"Or so he thought?" Ryoji frowned. "Well, what do we have here? Do you have some hidden trump cards in your hands?"

"To be prepared is the greatest strategy humankind ever thinks of…" Izanami replied before she turned around. "Well, good to see you. I still have someone to attend to," she said before she walked away, leaving Ryoji alone.

"The game is getting more interesting, Izanami. I wonder when you'll put your last piece on the board…"

~darkness~

"So, that's why we can't heal your hand, Souji-kun. Your hand was utterly damaged when it was cut," Yukari explained. Souji nodded with understanding.

"We're sorry, Souji-kun. There's nothing we can do about your hand…" Yukiko said apologetically.

Souji smiled forlornly before he said, "That's okay. It's my punishment after all…"

"But how can you do without your right hand? You can't use your left hand alone!" Yukari voiced her concern. "Why people like you always blaming themselves for something that? Even Minato-kun always did that!"

"Yukari-san…" Souji looked at the brunette woman in pink. "Don't worry. I'll live with it, I promise…" he smiled.

"Souji."

They heard a voice and turned around and saw Yosuke. His sheathed Tamayorihime was in his right hand. His expression seemed serious.

"I want to talk with you, now…" the brunette man spoke.

Souji nodded. He expected something like being berated by Yosuke for his reckless behavior, but he simply complied and followed him outside. They went towards the corridor before they started their conversation.

"So, what's the matter?" Souji asked.

Yosuke sighed. "You know, since that time, I've seen many things that I've never seen before. It is something that only a leader should see…" he looked at Souji's face. "To be put into responsibility, to lead, to order, to be a leader… I've learned it from your betrayal…"

"Learning process is continuous, Yosuke, it is continuous…" Souji said.

Yosuke chuckled. "But, I realized one thing. Even when you've left this place to me, I feel like I don't deserve it. I'm not a hero, a hero that can be trusted with this kind of thing. I'm not like you…" he said. "A hero's fate is not mine. A man that couldn't save the one he cherished the most has no right to embrace such blessing…"

"You're still blaming yourself for her death? Even after these years?" Souji asked.

"Still blaming, and always be…" Yosuke replied. "That's why I will stop blaming you for your action. People always do mistakes, and I do mine and you do yours." Yosuke then handed Tamayorihime to Souji. "A man that can be trusted with a hero's fate is you, Souji. Not me, but you, Seta Souji…"

Souji studied Yosuke's face before he looked at his former weapon. It was still in perfect shape. After contemplating with himself, Souji replied to Yosuke.

"No…"

He handed the sword back to Yosuke. The brunette man frowned. "Souji, are you sure? This is your sword. You have to take it back."

"It's yours now. You've done a great job leading our friends, and now I will be led under you. The hero's fate is yours. This is your story, and you will be its hero…" Souji remarked.

"Souji…" Yosuke looked at his friend's face.

"Moreover, how good a handicapped man can do to lead you?" Souji asked. "You are in charge now. You are our leader…"

~darkness~

Finally, I finished this new chapter! Thanks for those who are reading this fic! I hope your support for this story will continue until the end of the story. Peace! The last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	71. The Meaning of Life

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 71: The Meaning of Life

"So, his condition remains the same?" Ken asked as he looked at the unconscious blue-haired man on the bed. The man seemed to be faintly breathing with the aid of some machines. Kanji and Junpei were standing beside Ken.

The nurse who was tending Minato sighed before she replied, "I'm afraid he's getting worse. He begins to show lesser response to us now. His body seems to deteriorate as well. He can only barely breathe with the help of these things…"

"Will he be okay?" Junpei asked with concern. Minato, after all was his best friend. He simply couldn't believe that his days were numbered. "Is there something that you guys can do?"

The nurse shook her head. "I'm afraid we can't, but we'll try nonetheless…" she tried to give those three a reassuring smile. "Junpei-san, we'll try our best to save him."

"We believe in you…" Junpei nodded. "Well, if you don't mind, I want to ask you something, do you know-…"

Before Junpei could finish his question, Naoto entered the room. She nodded in acknowledgement to everyone in the room. As she looked at her brother Minato, she closed her eyes.

"Sorry for intruding," Naoto apologized. "I just want to see my brother…" she looked at Minato.

"W-Well, Naoto, it's…" Kanji tried to explain what happened to Minato but Naoto raised her hand, refraining Kanji from finishing his explanation.

"I know… his condition's getting worse than before. But I know he's going to make it…" Naoto said, smiling sadly. Kanji gulped as his face blushed.

"So, maybe I'll ask you later," Junpei said to the nurse before he turned to Naoto. "Naoto-kun, your brother is going to make it, I'm sure. No matter how hard the obstacle can be, he'll always be the one who make it. He's going to return, I believe in that…" he said with confidence as he gave Naoto a thumb-up and a confident grin.

"After all, he's a man who returns…" Ken added. "No matter how far he'll go, he'll always return to us."

"Guys…" Naoto looked at those three guys.

"Naoto…" Kanji spoke after he cleared his throat. "Minato-san's a man, and he'll be back like a real man always does. I bet he'll return to us soon…"

"Kanji-kun…" Naoto looked at Kanji before she lowered her gaze. Tears came out from her eyes before she thanked them with a bright smile. "Thank you…"

Kanji winced as he saw Naoto's brilliant smile. He felt like Naoto's face was releasing some sort of glittering light from heaven, or whatever it was. In his imagination, a chorus of angels from heaven rang within his mind. Blood began to escalate towards his head as he began to lose control upon himself. _"T-That smile, i-it's beautiful!"_

Splorch!

"Kanji-kun! Your nose is bleeding!"

"Oh god, not again!"

"Nurse-san, do you have tissues? Kanji-kun's losing blood! D-Do you have blood transfusion here?"

"Oh my, oh my… it's terrible…"

"Ken, help us too!"

"R-Right!"

Kanji seemed to be in quite a trouble for that day. Sometimes, even Gods were wondering about how Kanji could survive when he lost such a huge amount of blood.

~darkness~

"So, are you saying that Teddie's living 'inside' you?" Yosuke asked.

"Uh huh…" Souji nodded as he put a pack of ice on his cheek. A palm-mark could be visibly seen on his cheek. "This is the proof about it. When I was asleep, he took over my body. I don't know what he did when he took over my body, but I assume he did something perverted to Yukiko with my body…"

Yukiko who was sitting next to Souji was blushing. Some hours ago, she could be seen muttering something about stuffing a bear carcass inside a refrigerator if she got a good chance for it. Because of that, Teddie took a good sleep inside Souji. So, for several hours, Teddie wouldn't take over Souji's body.

"Well, I guess you're gonna experience the same thing like mine, about having that nosy bear around…" Yosuke sighed.

"He's just living with you, but now he's living inside me, emphasizing on the word 'inside'…" Souji said. "So, do you know about Minato-san's condition right now?" he asked.

Yosuke sighed. "Others said his condition worsens. Signs of dissipation are already seen. It's only a matter of time before he…" he tried to search for a suitable word that could replace 'die'. "…whatever it is that I know you know it…"

"Even with Diarahan?" Souji asked Yukiko. The woman shook her head miserably.

"Even with my power and Yukari-san's and Aigis-san's powers combined, we still can't prevent the deterioration. I'm sorry…" Yukiko said guiltily.

"That's not your fault, Yukiko. Let's pray that we'll be able to save him…" Souji said reassuringly. "I don't want to lose anything anymore. I even lost you once…" he looked at his girlfriend's face. "I don't want to see him dies, and I won't allow it. I won't forgive myself if he dies just like that. Moreover…" he said forlornly. "It's my fault…"

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko looked at the silver-haired man with gentle eyes.

~darkness~

The kid Minato walked around the endless limbo. He could only find a single door, a door that radiated some sort of attraction towards him. But he didn't want to enter the door because if he entered into it, he wouldn't and couldn't come out. Pharos who was floating aimlessly in the air just chuckled.

"I suggest you to stop walking around, Minato. You're going to kill yourself in this rate…" Pharos suggested, displaying a childish grin while still floating in the air. Then he descended onto the marble white floor before he spoke. "This is your sub-consciousness, the place that is close to you, but at the same time, far from your reach. This is your heart truly is…" he stretched out his arms before he continued, "Your heart is an empty limbo, deserted, filled with nothingness. It's such a perfect space to put your 'self-made' personalities that you can manifest as your Personas, but other than that, you are empty…"

The kid Minato looked at his palm. "Empty… am I empty?"

"Well, technically you're not. You still have your bones, meat, blood or whatever you can find in ordinary human being. But the thing I'm actually saying is that you don't have real personality. You just create some fake personalities to fit in society, but if those things are fake, how about a 'real' you?" Pharos asked.

Kid Minato snorted. "Why bother asking me that? It's not like you never know it. After all, you are me, and I am you…"

"Good argument…" Pharos mused. "Well… good luck searching…" Pharos said before he vanished. Kid Minato sighed before he wandered around to see anything he could find in the endless limbo which was his psyche.

~darkness~

Souji looked at his shirtless image in the mirror. Due to his duel with Yosuke, he received several nasty-looking scars that wouldn't be likely to vanish that easily. Because of the duel, he lost his right dominant hand. Then, he let out a sigh.

_"What's the matter, Sensei? You look depressed,"_ Teddie's voice rang inside his head. Souji smiled slightly.

"It's nothing, Ted. Thanks for worrying me…" Souji said to Teddie who was inside his body.

_"Don't mention it, Sensei. Don't worry, this bear will help you out no matter how un'bear'able the situation can be, hehe…"_ Teddie said with such convincing voice.

Souji chuckled as he listened to Teddie. "Right, I'll be counting on you then, Teddie. I know you won't let me down…"

"Nice conversation there, or are you going insane after what had happened?"

Souji's eyes widened as he heard that familiar voice. He turned around and grabbed his katana with his left hand. Even without his dominant hand, he would strike anyone who could pose any sort of threats upon him. With one clean pull, he took out his shiny katana from its scabbard.

"Still sharp as always, huh?"

"Huh?" Souji frowned before he gasped. In front of him, he saw someone that explicitly reminded him of someone. "D-Don't tell me you're…"

"Nice to see you here, Seta Souji," that someone spoke. He looked at Souji with anticipation. "Oh, do I have something funny on my face? Well, it can't be helped since I ate cabbage stew earlier…"

"Adachi!" Souji exclaimed.

~darkness~

Gin was sitting leisurely on the rooftop, puffing out a ring of white smoke with his pipe. He was clad in black jacket and his long hair was tied in ponytail fashion. Then a brunette man clad in white shirt and red pants came and went to his side.

"So, how is it, Sensei?" the man, Yosuke asked. "Did you find your new subject?"

Gin sighed before he said, "We need reinforcement to help us dealing with Orochi and his minions. We can't afford to lose any of our main powers. Even Seta and Arisato were incapacitated to fight well, since the former loses his right hand and the later is… unconscious. The Shirogane girl is mentally depressed by her brother's state while Seta's cute girlfriend is busy coping with her new boyfriend's state. I believe we'll need some… assistance."

Yosuke took out his kunai and played it with his fingers. "That explains why you're going away for three days. So, who's the one you're asking for?"

Gin gave his pupil an enigmatic smirk. "It's better for you to not know, Yosuke. In the meantime, I believe it's your duty to restore the spirits of our friends. They'll need your guidance since you're their leader. Even Seta believes in you…"

Yosuke fidgeted as he spoke unconfidently. "I'm not a good leader. I'm not a real hero. I'm just a loser, the one who relies in real hero."

Gin smiled understandingly to the young man. "Yosuke… you've got a long journey ahead. By real experience, you'll see that you're the one who can lead the way for your friends. Just believe in my words, Yosuke."

Yosuke looked at his master's face sheepishly. "You've said that to me many times before. For me, it's hard to achieve what you've said just now, but I won't let you down, Sensei…"

~darkness~

Souji glared warily at Adachi, his former enemy. The man's appearance was unchanged, save for his attire which was some kind of prisoner's garb. His hair was slightly longer as well. Adachi smiled politely at Souji before he waved his hand. "Don't worry. I'm not what I used to be. Being in prison changed me, you know?"

"What's your intention, then?" Souji asked. He was ready to pull out his sword. Even without his Shadow power, he would dare to strike the man down.

"Whoa, calm down, kid! I come here to talk with you and your bear friend!" Adachi said hastily. "And you know it as well, don't you?" he smirked.

Souji focused his vision and gasped as he saw Adachi's body seemed translucent. He could see what was behind the man. "D-Don't tell me, you're…"

"During my years in prison, I've developed some new tricks with my Persona, Magatsu Izanagi. I was able to retain my Shadow power like the one I used at the last time we met each other. This is my body double, as you can see…" Adachi's body blurred like it was a hologram image. "A fake body like this won't be able to hurt you, at least…"

Souji lowered his guard, but still looking at Adachi warily. "You come here to talk, Adachi?" he asked.

"Well, of course," Adachi nodded. "But, let me show you something…" suddenly, Adachi's dark eyes turned yellow, much to Souji's surprise. Their surrounding then shifted. Before he could know it, Souji was in a prison cell. Adachi was sitting on his bed, crossing his leg.

"Welcome to my home, Souji…" Adachi greeted the silver-haired man.

"What did you do to me?" Souji asked. He felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Don't worry. You are now virtually inside my cell. I bring you here in the same way as I bring myself to your place." Adachi said. "Now, don't afraid. The guards won't be able to see you. I just want to talk to you regarding the current events outside…"

"You know?" Souji seemed surprised as Adachi, the one who was jailed in the prison knew about the current event. "How do you know?"

"Like I've said, in these years, I honed my ability to control the power of my Persona. At first, it was hard for me since it's not the same like I used to in the TV world. But over years, I managed to control the power and used it accordingly. When you guys were fighting Orochi, I saw you all through my enhanced vision. So… I've seen you've screwed up out there…" Adachi spoke.

Souji sighed. "You can say that…"

"The power of Shadow is hard to control. Even I wasn't able to use it efficiently. But you can use it freely, summoning the strength of your inner self to take over your body. But you've paid such a heavy price for such power…" Adachi said.

"This power is alluring, very seductive. It tempts me to be what I truly am, to be a beast rather than a human. It feels good, but at the same time, it feels truly bad," Souji said, putting his hand on his chest.

"That's what a man truly is, Souji. You've seen a glimpse of the truth, and it's only a matter of time before you may reach it." Adachi said. "But that's not really a point. The point of I wanting to talk with you is about your group or organization…" he stood up. "Some days earlier, I was visited by someone I never expected. I know that you know about him as well…"

"Who?" Souji asked.

"The old man that sticks with you guys of course…" Adachi shrugged.

"Gin…" Souji mused. "So, he visited you, and?" he asked again.

"He offered me something. He offered me freedom in exchange of my allegiance to him. He wanted me to ally myself with you guys, but of course I turned him down," Adachi replied with a shrug. "After all, being freed is quite a pain to deal with. I've to sign numerous contracts before I can get out from this place."

"So, that's why…" Souji nodded.

Adachi grinned. "But, he gave me choices, at least. He offered something that I couldn't turn down, so I said to him that I would think about it. When the time comes, he will give me a signal and I'll bust out from this place with my power…" he grinned. "Due to all these years of training, I've got enough strength to escape this prison…"

"But why didn't you escape?" Souji asked. "With the power, you can get out from here easily?"

Adachi chuckled before he set himself back on his bed, sitting on it. "You're right. With the power, I can escape this prison easily, but I won't escape this place. This is my punishment. Outside world is no longer suitable for me. And here, I've found my reasons to live," he smiled gently to Souji. "You're right, Souji. This world isn't that empty as I thought. It's just I'm too blind to see it…" Souji could hear remorse from Adachi's voice.

"Do you lament for your mistakes?" Souji asked, looking at Adachi's face. "The murders you had committed, do you regret doing them?"

Despite smiling, Adachi replied forlornly, "More that you can think, Souji, more than you can think," then, he stood up. "Remember, once you travel into a road of chaos and destruction, you won't be able to find a road to return easily. You're lucky, Seta Souji. You just happened to find a road to return, unlike me…"

"I understand." Souji nodded.

"Now, go. The test upon humanity is still running, and you're still its primary subject. Don't let the humanity you're trying to preserve be assumed as a path of emptiness. Don't repeat my mistake…" Adachi said, smiling. "When the time comes, I will come to you and do my first and last task as the last member of the Eaters…"

As for that, Souji's body dissolved, leaving Adachi alone in his cell. Adachi sighed before he sat on his bed. Moments later, the door of his cell was opened and a young woman with black hair in warden's uniform came in with a tray of food in her hands.

"Tohru-kun, here's your meal for today," the female warden spoke gently to Adachi. "Are you doing alright?" she asked.

Adachi looked at the woman before he nodded. "I'm doing alright, Akina-san…" he stood up and took the tray. "But I can take it by myself. Why bother taking it for me?"

The female warden, Akina replied, "Because you don't show up an hour ago. You suppose to show up downstairs for lunch, remember?"

Adachi chuckled. "Oh, silly me. I'm sorry then, Akina-san," he smiled to Akina before he closed his eyes.

_"You're right, Souji. This world isn't that empty as I thought. I should learn this from you. In this hell, I found my life…"_

~darkness~

Akihiko was standing in front of Vineyard's cell. He looked at the captured adjutant of Lust with stern look. He had told the woman about Michael's demise.

"So, he's dead right?" Vineyard spoke. "Serve him right, then…" she said nonchalantly.

"He's one of your teammates. Why can you at least show some remorse? Moreover, once Michael dies, Serpent Tail is no longer invincible. Death for your teammates will be permanent, remember?" Akihiko said.

Vineyard scowled. "We just happened to be in a same side, that's all."

Akihiko sighed. "So, in that case, please tell me anything you know about your so-called 'side'. I am rather curious about it…"

"I don't feel like talking about the matter…" Vineyard replied lazily. "Like I've said earlier, you won't get anything from me…"

Akihiko groaned before he let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright then, if that's your wish, I can help it. Maybe I can have a better luck next time…" he turned and went out from the room. Outside the room, Fuuka was waiting for him.

"What happened, senpai?" Fuuka asked. "Did she tell you anything?"

Akihiko shook his head. "No luck. She didn't tell us any good things. Even by mentioning Michael's death, she still didn't tell anything. I feel like talking to a wooden pole is better than dealing with her…" he said.

"Are you alright?" Fuuka asked. She seemed concerned about the policeman.

"She didn't do anything funny to me today, so I'm alright…" Akihiko replied, smiling.

Fuuka shook her head. "No, I mean, are you alright? Do you feel okay after fighting Takaya? He's…" Fuuka couldn't continue her sentence.

Akihiko placed his hands on Fuuka's shoulders. "Of course I'm alright, Fuuka. Don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine, really fine. At least you should worry about Minato or Souji. Both of them need our support, right?" he gave the nurse his best reassuring smile.

Fuuka blushed before she squeaked, "S-Senpai…"

"Hmm?" Akihiko looked at Fuuka's blushed face.

"It hurts…" Fuuka stated, wincing painfully. "You're gripping my shoulders…"

"Huh? Oh!" hastily, Akihiko pulled his hands away from Fuuka's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Fuuka! Does it hurt you?" he asked with worried tone.

"Oww…" Fuuka winced. "Your hands are too strong, senpai. But…" after wiping her eyes, she smiled. "…those hands have protected us during that fight. There's no way I can blame you for hurting me…"

"Fuuka…" Akihiko was speechless.

"Senpai, what's your motivation to fight?" suddenly, Fuuka asked. It took Akihiko by surprise.

"That's…" Akihiko scratched his cheek before he answered. "I want to protect everyone. I don't want to lose those people I cherish. Miki, Shinji, anyone I've lost, I don't want to see anything like that again. I wish I have enough power for that…" he clenched his fist.

"Senpai…" Fuuka looked at Akihiko understandingly.

"Fuuka, sometimes, you remind me of my late sister…" Akihiko stated. "Do you remember when we were going to save you when you're lost inside Tartarus? When the first time I saw you, I thought my eyes went bad, but when I saw you on the bed in hospital at that day, I almost thought I've seen Miki…" he said melancholically. "Because of that, I want to remind myself that Miki is…"

"Senpai, I understand…" Fuuka cut Akihiko's sentence. "You've lost many people you cherish. You don't want to see it again, right?"

"That's my intention. I will protect all of you…" Akihiko claimed. "I can't afford to see you guys get hurt. I will protect you all…" he smiled.

Fuuka smiled. "Indeed…"

Without their knowledge, Mitsuru was hearing their conversation not very far away from them. A slight smile was curved on her lips.

"Akihiko, you've matured at last…" Mitsuru muttered before she walked away without being noticed by Fuuka and Akihiko.

~darkness~

Aigis was tending herself by repairing her hand. She had to tighten some screws that might have loosened during the time of battle in Yasogami. She could do it by herself after all these years.

"Minato-kun…" she sighed. Then she glanced at the mask she received before the battle of Yasogami was initiated.

"So… what this thing supposes to mean anyway?" Aigis muttered.

Without her knowledge, the mask would be more important than what she could think of in the future.

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. Sorry because I've nothing to say here. So, forgive me because this chapter is crappy than usual. As usual, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	72. Struggle

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 and 4)

Chapter 72: Struggle

In the endless limbo, kid Minato was sitting alone on the cold marble floor, contemplating about what he should do after this. After that, Pharos came from nowhere, standing beside him while smiling brightly.

"In the end, you've found nothing," Pharos said.

"Shut up," kid Minato grunted.

Pharos chuckled before he vanished and reappeared above kid Minato, floating. "So, the so-called universe inside your psyche is just a mere empty space like what you've seen just now. It's empty, deserted, barren, undecorated, saddening…"

Kid Minato growled before he stood up and stomped his foot on the marble floor, creating a small crater. Even though in his compact version, his strength was still the same. "So, what kind of Aesop I'm gonna learn in this hell? Don't be empty? Don't be expressionless? Be sociable? Be fitting in society?"

Pharos landed on the floor before he looked at kid Minato's face. "No matter what kind of Aesop you've learned, there's something that you should know. It is something that you must learn by yourself, something that you must understand. So, I'm going to give you choices…" he grinned.

"What kind of choices?" kid Minato asked.

"Be yourself… or deceive yourself…"

The bet was on.

~darkness~

Naoto was looking at her brother's face. It was pale and sickly, but seeing his face seemed to calm Naoto. She felt having a part of herself being reattached into its place. It felt familiar, but at the same time, it felt awkward.

"Brother…" Naoto spoke. "I wish I knew it earlier. I wish I can spend much time with you as your sister. I ever thought…" tears came out from her eyes. "I never thought to have someone like you as my brother. I wish I know you better. I want to speak with you…" she held Minato's cold hand with her little hands. "Please, open your eyes, brother…"

Kanji who was leaning on the wall nearby just looked at Naoto with sympathy. He never thought he would see Naoto so vulnerable. He wished he could do something to comfort that young woman, but looking at the circumstances, looking at her from a safe distance seemed to be a great way to comfort her.

Suddenly, the machines that were attached to Minato's body beeped. It caught Naoto and Kanji by surprise. Then something that couldn't be expected happened. Minato breathed heavily and opened his eyes. He seemed to struggle hard to catch his breath. Beads of sweat began to form on his face.

"B-Brother!" Naoto exclaimed, clutching Minato's hand.

"N-Nao… to…" Minato spoke weakly between his breathes. His bluish gray eyes weren't reflecting light anymore. "P-Please… call everyone…" he said.

Naoto frantically turned to Kanji. "Kanji-kun, please call everyone! Tell them that Minato-san's awake!" she said.

Kanji nodded. "R-Right!" he said before he rushed out from the room. Naoto turned back to Minato and spoke to him chokingly.

"B-Brother… you're, you're awake!" Naoto exclaimed tearfully. "Please tell me you're going to be okay!" she begged.

Despite having difficulty in breathing, Minato forced himself to smile. He raised one of his hands and caressed Naoto's cheek. "Naoto… are you crying?" he wiped Naoto's tears. "Do you feel sad?" he asked. Then, he took off Naoto's hat and placed it on his chest. "If I caused that, I'm sorry. I'm such a bad brother…"

"Don't say that! You're going to be okay! You won't die, believe me!" Naoto said, still crying. "You're going to be a great brother for me! You will be at my side, right? You will live!" she said, trying to sound convincing.

Minato chuckled despite his difficulty. "I'm relieved, Naoto…" Minato said. "I'm such a terrible brother. I wish I can know you better…"

"Please don't say any words! You're going to be fine! Your friends will arrive!" Naoto exclaimed. "Please… please stay with us…" Naoto squeaked, clutching Minato's hand tightly.

~darkness~

Igor was sitting on his seat while his assistants, Elizabeth and Margaret were standing beside him. He grinned smugly as a shining blue card appeared in front of him, spinning in the air. With his gloved hand, he took the card and put it on his table.

"The moment that we are waiting for has arrived," Igor said, placing his slender finger on the card before the single card split into nine separate cards. "A greatest moment a human being can face to is when he is going to make a choice…" with a simple hand gesture, those cards flipped, revealing the images of tarot cards.

"Is he going to be just fine?" Elizabeth asked, seemingly worried.

"Don't worry, lass." Igor glanced at the assistant. "The dear lad is going to make his own choice, like what he had assumed upon himself in the moment he signed this contract," a contract appeared in his hand. "Whatever his choice can be, he does it with his own free will. His single choice will affect his journey, of course. Let us pray that he can make a perfect choice so he can end his journey beautifully like what he did last time,"

Elizabeth nodded weakly. Igor glanced at the woman before he closed his eyes.

"Oh dear, what's the matter, my lass? Do you feel worried about our guest's fate?" Igor asked.

Elizabeth closed her golden eyes, preferring to not answer her master's question.

"Preferring to stay silent, my dear? Well, it can't be helped…" Igor said. "But whatever his choice can be, we are obliged to give him some sort of assistance. And you are in charge for that, Elizabeth…"

Elizabeth stared at Igor's face before she nodded. "I understand, master…"

"Good. Well then…" Igor raised his hand before the tarot cards on his table ascended into the air, floating aimlessly. "Let the destiny unfold, and universe be created!"

~darkness~

"What? Are you saying Minato-kun's awake?" Yukari was the one who first reacted after Kanji told them the story. Yukiko, Chie, Ken, Akihiko and Souji were there as well. Without wasting any second, Yukari rushed towards the direction of the room where Minato was located.

"Whoa, that girl," Akihiko said. "At least she must learn how to calm down…" he sighed. "But…" he looked at Kanji. "Tatsumi, are you saying that Minato's really awake? What's his condition just now?" he asked.

"Urgh…" Kanji scratched the back of his head. "His condition's pretty bad if you ask me. Naoto's with him though…"

Souji cleared his throat. "If that's the case, we must not tell Aigis-san about this matter. If she knows-…" a sound of clattering tray was heard. All of them turned around and saw Aigis with Koromaru at her side. She seemed surprised as like she had heard their conversation. Without wasting any second, Aigis rushed towards the direction of Minato's room. "A-Aigis-san!" Souji tried to prevent the android from going to Minato's place, but he was late. "Dammit!"

"And he said he wants to see you all…" Kanji continued.

Akihiko nodded before he turned to Ken. "Ken, can you call others? Tell them to come here at once," he said.

"O-Okay!" Ken nodded before he took out his cell-phone.

"We should go too…" Yukiko said to Chie and Souji.

"Yes. I'll contact Yosuke and ask him to come here at once," Chie said.

"I must go. I want to apologize to him," Souji stated.

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko looked at her boyfriend's face gently. "Don't worry. Let's go…" Yukiko grabbed Souji's left hand and pulled him along.

~darkness~

All of them were in Minato's room. Aigis and Yukari were standing by Minato's side while Naoto was sitting on a chair near Minato's bed, clutching her brother's hand. All of them were looking at Minato expectantly.

"So, you guys come at last…" Minato said weakly. He smiled. "Thanks, guys. I think it's going to be my last time speaking with you…"

"Please don't speak too much, Minato-kun!" Yukari said. "And don't say 'last time'! You're going to live!"

"Minato-kun, you won't die, right? You won't leave us again, isn't that right? You won't leave me again, am I wrong?" Aigis asked tearfully.

Despite his escalating pain, Minato managed to chuckle. "Aigis… don't cry." His eyes reached to Aigis' face and wiped her tears. "You are a miracle. Inside that metallic frame of machinery, lies a warm aspect we call 'humanity'. It is something I wish to protect, and I know, you'll protect it as well…"

"I'll protect it, of course!" Aigis exclaimed, lowering herself and placed her head on Minato's chest. "But, I wish I can protect you too! It's my purpose to live!"

"Don't worry, Aigis…" Minato stroked Aigis' blonde hair. "You'll find out that protecting others will be your purpose as well…"

"Minato-kun…" Aigis whimpered.

Then, Minato looked at Junpei. "Junpei, where's Chidori-san?" he asked.

Junpei gritted his teeth before he replied, "Staying at out flat, resting. But dude! You're dying! How can you ask something like that in this time?" he exclaimed.

Minato smiled. "Junpei, I knew since the beginning that you're a nice man. You've found those who are precious to you, someone that you're willing to die protecting for. Please take care of Chidori, Junpei. Having someone like her is a greatest blessing a human being can have…"

Junpei clenched his fist. "M-Minato, how can you… how can you stay calm even when you face death?"

"I'm afraid, but I have to…" Minato replied. "I have to stay calm…" then, he looked at Ken. "Ken, I've seen that you've grown into a fine, good man. You are no longer dwelling to your past, and I can see in your face that you're willing to help others for the sake of justice. And… what's your girlfriend's name again?" he asked.

Despite crying, Ken replied, "Aya…" he wiped his tears. "Minato-san, please don't die! We all need you!"

"Good," Minato smiled. "Please protect her, okay?"

"I-I will!" Ken nodded.

After that, he looked at Yukiko, much to the woman's surprise. "Yukiko-san, you've faced many troubles, and yet you don't run away from it. I know what it feels to be left, but you faced it nonetheless. You faced them all with wisdom and was driven by your pure instinct. You're a strong woman, Yukiko-san…"

"Minato-san, please don't speak too much!" Yukiko said, tears gathered in her eyes. "Please, for the sake of people who loved you, stay alive!"

"Yukiko-san, you have a power to heal those wounded hearts, and I know you can heal yours too. Please stay with all your friends who need you…" Minato said with reassuring smile.

"Minato-san…" tears rolled on Yukiko's cheeks.

"Souji…" Minato looked at the silver-haired man. "Every person has flaws, and both of us have no exception. You've seen yours, and you've overcome it. As a fellow Wild Card, I'm so proud of you…" he said.

"Minato-san…" Souji said guiltily. "I'm sorry for everything I did. If I didn't do it, this thing wouldn't happen…" he said miserably.

Minato closed his eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed for, Souji. At least, you returned. It's good enough to compensate it all…" he said.

"Minato-san…" Souji looked at Minato. "Thanks…"

"Akihiko-senpai…" then, he looked at Akihiko. "I know how it felt when we lost someone we cherished. That's why I want to protect you all. You too, wish to protect your friends, and I am glad for it. "

"Minato, I don't want to see you die!" Akihiko exclaimed. "After all losses I had faced, losing Miki, Shinji, all my colleagues, and now you? I won't allow it!"

"Then it will be your last…" Minato said reassuringly. "Mitsuru-senpai…" then he looked at Mitsuru. "You're a chairwoman of Kirijo Corporation. For the sake of your family, you want to atone for the sins your family had committed before. You want for Kirijo family to have a path of redemption. But… don't force yourself too much…"

"Minato…" Mitsuru said, her voice sounded sad. "I'm sure we can find a way to cure you. Please, stay alive…" she begged. "Take my life… if you must…" she said, repeating her sentence that she exclaimed when she was giving Minato encouragement while fighting Nyx.

Minato managed to chuckle before she said, "Your life is precious, same like others too."

"Minato…" Mitsuru said, tears running out from one of her eyes.

"Boy…" then, Minato looked at Koromaru. "Koromaru boy, I'm glad I know you. You are the best dog ever. I never thought to see a dog with a high sense of honor like you. Even after your master's death, you're still willing to wait for him…" he said. "If he's still alive, he will be proud of you, I believe in that…"

Koromaru whimpered sadly. Fuuka knelt next to the canine, petting his head.

"Fuuka, I know your wish. You want to see your friends connected to each other. You want to set the bonds for us. I shall thank you too, because if it's not you, we won't be able to be together like this…" Minato said, looking at Fuuka.

"Minato-kun, please don't speak too much. I know you'll return eventually. Please… for our sake, stay alive…" Fuuka begged tearfully.

Then, he looked at Yosuke. "Yosuke, I know it's hard to lead people, but the important thing is that you must believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, people will have faith in you…" he said to the brunette man.

"Minato-san…" Yosuke lowered his gaze.

"Chie-san…" after that, Minato looked at the heiress of Kushinada. "You know your importance in this kind of event, right? Please don't put the burden on your shoulders alone. You have your friends, and sometimes, friendship can help you out in unexpected ways. I learned that in pretty bizarre way."

"Minato-san… you won't die, right?" Chie asked, crying. "I don't want to see people die… and yet…" she said chokingly.

Minato blinked before he looked at Kanji. "Kanji, I know you're always acting tough, but deep inside, you're the gentlest man I ever know. Please continue that way. Believe me, Kanji. You'll get happiness in the end…"

"Minato-san…" Kanji clenched his fist. "No… you're…" he gritted his teeth. "You must stay…"

Minato chuckled before he looked at Yukari who was crying for him. "Yukari, please don't cry. Seeing you smile is better than seeing you like this…" he said gently before he made a gesture to make Yukari lowered herself. As Yukari's face drawn nearer, Minato used his thumb to wipe her tear. "Please… smile to me. Whatever you have, I loved your smile the most…"

"Minato-kun, why…" despite crying, Yukari made a slight smile. Then she held Minato's hand. "Why must you go? We need you! I need you! Please, don't leave us again. I don't want to suffer anymore…" she begged.

"You won't suffer anymore, Yukari. I won't let you suffer…" Minato said reassuringly. "And…" he looked at Naoto who was sitting on her seat near his bed. "Naoto… my baby sister…" he used his other hand to pet her head. "I'm so proud of you. I wish you can be happy…"

"T-There's no way I can be happy without you!" Naoto protested while sobbing. "I want to know you better! I want to have you at my side! Please, don't leave me anymore!" she begged tearfully. "Besides Grandpa, you're the only one I have as a family…" she said chokingly.

"I wish I can enjoy being your brother, Naoto…" Minato said, closing his eyes and reopened them back. Despite being burdened by such unbearable pain, he managed to smile. "But, I'm afraid I can't…"

"No! You won't die! Not yet!" Naoto exclaimed. She clutched Minato's hand. "Hang in there, brother!"

"Minato-kun!" Aigis cried. "Don't leave us!"

With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes. His lips still curved a smile. With a last breath, he muttered. "Thanks…"

"Brother!"

"Minato-san!"

_"I'm sorry, guys…"_ that was Minato's last thought before his vision turned into pure darkness.

Ryoji who was leaning on the wall just let out a sigh. "Oh boy…" he closed his blue eyes. "Things are going pretty bad…"

~darkness~

"It seems that our guest had made his decision…" Margaret said.

"Oh, that's good…" Igor commented. "Well, I think it will be good for him and all of us," he looked up and saw a blue shiny butterfly. "Isn't that right? Master Philemon?"

The butterfly perched on Igor's finger.

_"It's time for the evaluation…"_

Meanwhile, in the endless limbo, kid Minato slumped on the marble floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Pharos was standing behind him.

"I'm sorry… guys…" kid Minato sobbed.

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. Sorry for the late update. I am busy with final exam, so I have no chance to turn on my computer. But well, here it is. Another chapter is updated and I wish you guys will read it. Please expect a positive end for the next chapter for Minato and no, I never intended to kill Minato off. He's one of the main characters. He must live until the end of the story. I am hoping you may enjoy this chapter and the last but not least, read and review.

Albireo Imma


	73. Arisato Minato

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 73: Arisato Minato

"D-Damn, this isn't funny!" Junpei exclaimed before he shook Minato's lifeless body. "Man, stop playing around, will you?" he said quite desperately. "M-Minato, you're… you're not like this." Tears rolled on his cheeks. "Y-You won't die…" he said, choking back words. "You won't die, damn it!"

"Junpei…" Ryoji sighed as he placed his hand on Junpei's shoulder. "That's enough. You've seen it by yourself…" he said rather seriously. "On this day, Arisato Minato is dead…"

"Y-You…" Junpei turned to Ryoji. "Your friend's already dead, and you still act like nothing happened!" angrily, he grabbed Ryoji's collar and pushed him towards a wall. "You can't act just like that, damn it!"

Ryoji shook his head. "Junpei, you are forgetting something. I come here, on this mortal world, for Minato's sake. Minato's presence is the only thing that will anchor my existence in this world. Once he dies, I am free to return to my post as the Avatar of Nyx…" his blue eyes looked into Junpei's. "And, please keep in mind that I am Death, the deliverer of destruction upon mankind. To put it in simple words, I am your enemy…"

"You… you son of a bitch!" Junpei snarled before he launched a punch on Ryoji's face.

"Punch me as much as you like, Junpei…" Ryoji stated, wiping the blood that came out from his mouth. "But he won't return. Death is imminent and everyone will have to face it. For Minato, he had seen his own demise…" he said.

"So, what are you going to do?" then, Akihiko said. He took out his revolver before he placed it on Ryoji's head. "If you want to make yourself our enemy, I'll blow your head now."

Ryoji chuckled. "Oh, please! You're going to need more than that, Akihiko…" he said. "But if I call upon the Lady Nyx now, since Minato isn't available to seal her anymore, I bet you guys will be screwed hard, with this Orochi's stuff. Since returning to my post is with my own free will, I'll have to stay and help you guys out to defeat the Serpent Tail. I still have something to deal with it…"

"Well, it's more than enough…" Souji stated. "We'll have to deal with the end of the world soon after we deal with those guys. So, what should we do now?" he asked.

"Maybe…" Mitsuru glanced at the peaceful form of Minato. "Maybe I can provide a funeral for him. We'll leave him to my researcher team for further investigation upon his state of body before that. Is that good for you, Ryoji?" she looked at the counterpart of the now-deceased man.

"Do whatever you want," Ryoji shrugged. "He has no use to me anymore. His contract with me had been nullified upon his death. But…" somehow, Ryoji's expression seemed sad. "I never thought it may end like this way before…" he lowered his gaze. "But, no matter which way he had chosen, each of them would lead to a same end, a same conclusion of a man's journey, a Fool's Journey…" he said. "His journey has ended…"

"Ryoji-kun…" Yukiko looked at her teacher's face understandingly. "In that case, will you stay with us for a little longer after we defeat Orochi? I know it's had already predestined, but…" she smiled. "A destiny is foretold, not confirmed. And…" she looked at Minato's face. "The same happens for him too. His journey does reach an end, but an end doesn't mean 'death', right?"

"Doesn't mean… Death?" Ryoji mused.

"I've done some research about Tarot cards sometimes ago…" Yukiko said. "And the thirteenth Arcana the Death is a symbol of an end…" she explained. "But Death doesn't mean an end of life. It can rather be interpreted as an end of something that will eventually lead to a new beginning. And you…" she looked at Ryoji with gentle eyes. "You are Death yourself, you understand well about your very own nature. So, do you have second thought about it?"

"…" Ryoji silently looked at Yukiko's face before he sighed. He went to Minato's side, standing beside Naoto who was still mourning for Minato's death. "A new beginning… that stems from an end…" he muttered. Naoto looked at him with bemused look, her eyes still teary because of crying.

"I see…" Ryoji mused. "So that's how it is…" he grinned. "In the end, both he and I learn a valuable lesson. A new beginning…" he raised his hand. "He totally deserves it…" suddenly, his hand released some kind of bluish aura that soon emanated the entire room, blinding the rest of people inside the ward.

"So, are you ready for meeting him inside his head?"

Their visions soon turned dark.

~darkness~

In the endless limbo, the kid Minato was still crying as Pharos standing beside him. The pale boy in striped pajamas could only look at his friend with sympathy. After all, he has a part of Minato and he was only the one who could completely understand him.

"So, is this lamentation?" Pharos asked. "So, you weren't empty after all…"

"I…" Minato said, choking back tears. "I don't know…" he said, looking on his palms. "The feeling, it feels hurt. I c-can't breathe properly…" he wiped his tears. Then, he realized that something materialized around him. Before he could realize it, he was surrounded by dozens of floating pearls, each of them sized like a regular tennis ball.

"So… it finally happens…" Pharos said, looking at the floating pearls. Minato stopped crying and looked at the pearls with bemused expression.

"W-What are these things?" kid Minato asked, backing off.

Pharos looked at the kid Minato's face solemnly. "These are the remnants of your memories, your most valuable relics of your life. But… you do not belong to the world of living anymore and these pearls are no longer yours. Remember the price you paid for returning to the living world. Once you fail, you promise to give up these memories, right?"

"M-Memories?" the kid Minato looked at the pearls before a sudden flash of recollections flooded into his mind eyes. He remembered his friends, their battle with Shadows and he moments when he spent some precious time with them. He could remember Junpei and his stupid antics, he could remember how pink Yukari could be while blushing, he could remember how oblivious Akihiko could be, he could remember Fuuka's worst cooking that could bring shame for the pesticide's developer.

He winced as the streams of memories forcefully entered his mind. He could still remember how awkward Mitsuru could get in commoners society, he could remember how hard Ken worked for making himself taller by drinking milk. He could remember when Koromaru showed his saddened expression as he ate Fuuka's 'cooking'. And the last one that streamed into his head was a pair of blue eyes.

"A-Aigis…" Minato squeaked. In his head, he could see a blonde girl clad in blue dress, standing near the water. The scenery was quite familiar.

_"I will always be with you, Minato-san…"_

Suddenly, some of the pearls cracked and exploded, making the kid Minato winced. As some of them vanished, some of his recollections went dark. Aigis who was standing near the water had vanished from his mind and he was wondering who Aigis was.

"A-Aigis… who is she?" the kid Minato muttered. Then some other pearls exploded into dust. "Who are them? What are them? I-I can't remember them!"

"The memories will vanish and you won't be able to remember them. You will lose all of them, including the ones that have something to do with yourself…" Pharos explained, floating among the exploding pearls.

The kid Minato fell to his knees, clutching his head while all the pearls continuously exploded. "Why? Why does it happen? What is this feeling? I can't remember one thing! Who are these guys? What are these guys?" then he briefly paused before he continued, "W-Who am I?"

Within his head was a void, an empty place where his memories used to reside. Now, it was empty and unoccupied. He got nothing left within him.

Then, the kid Minato looked at Pharos with empty face. "And who are you?"

Pharos sighed. "And in the end, you are pathetic…" he swayed his hand and the door that nearby glowed. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"W-Who am I?" Minato muttered.

"You are Arisato Minato," suddenly, a child's voice was heard. "You are a good man, a good listener, a great friend." A boy clad in jacket and denim pants appeared behind him. A baseball cap was put neatly on his head, covering most of his short brown hair. "I am grateful that you are my friend, Minato…"

"W-What?" Minato looked at the newcomer and then a new thought streamed into his head and he could remember the boy's name. "J-Junpei?" he stuttered.

"I know you put the burdens on your shoulders by yourself, but it won't hurt if we share the burdens, isn't it?" the kid Junpei said, grinning. "After all, you're my buddy."

"B-Buddy? I-I don't remember it…" kid Minato said.

Then, a new voice was heard. "It's okay…" a red-haired girl appeared. She clad in white dress and her hair was made in pigtails fashion. "It's okay to not remember it because we are always with you…" she smiled gently. "You helped us a lot. You helped me to realize that there are many ways for redemptions. My family committed a horrible act of crime in the past, and we had received a punishment for that, guilt. But… thanks to you, the guilt wasn't here anymore…" she placed her hand on her chest.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai?" the kid Minato said as another stream of thought flooded into his head. He was confused about how the very thought appeared so randomly inside his head. "W-What do you mean?"

"Minato, we are friends, and we can share the pain you suffered…" the kid Mitsuru said, offering a hand to the kid Minato. "You had done this to me once, and I will do it to you after this…"

"B-Burden…" the kid Minato muttered. "I…" he said before another voice was heard.

"I know how it feels to have such heavy burdens on your shoulders, Minato…" it was a boy's voice and a white-haired boy clad in brown shirt and shorts appeared. "You have lost many things, and so do I. I lost Miki, and then Shinji and after that…" his eyes went melancholic. "I lost you…" then the boy smiled. "Losing someone is painful, but it's natural. You taught us to cope with it. So, why don't we share the burden?"

"Share… the burdens?" the kid Minato muttered as he looked into the white-haired boy's eyes. "Akihiko-senpai?"

"We can't lament ourselves forever, can we? At some point, there will be a time when we must go on…" the kid Akihiko said. "This is living means…" he said, smiling.

"Living? B-But I don't deserve to live!" the kid Minato exclaimed as another stream of thought entered his mind. "I… don't deserve to live…"

"But you must…" another voice said before a brunette boy in black and brown shirts and pants appeared. "Everyone deserves to live. And you deserve it too."

"I-I deserve to live?" the kid Minato said as he looked at the new boy. "K-Ken?" he said as a new thought appeared in his mind.

"Once, I also thought the same thing…" the kid Ken said. "But, refusing to face the truth isn't a smart way in a man's life. Death isn't the only option while you can prefer to stay, Minato-san!"

"I am allowed to stay?" Minato asked, his voice filled with sceptism.

"Bark!" suddenly a barking sound was heard before a white-haired puppy with red eyes appeared. He continued to bark and Minato thought he was hearing the little dog was speaking to him.

_"Don't worry, Minato-dono. You can still stay with us. While doing it is a free action, you can prefer to stay instead of going. Like me, I prefer to stay at the shrine, to safeguard the memories of my master instead of leaving it. After all, it is all I can cherish…"_ Minato could hear what the puppy meant.

"K-Koromaru, boy?" the kid Minato stuttered. "You have something to cherish, but…" he said hesitantly. "Do I have mine?"

"Sure you do, Minato-kun," a girl's voice was heard before a green-haired girl in blue sleeveless dress appeared. She smiled gently to the kid Minato. "You have us, and it's more than enough. You are the one who link us all, and I don't want to lose you again. So…" her green eyes were teary. "Please stay with us…" she pleaded.

"F-Fuuka…" the kid Minato looked into the girl's deep green eyes. Then he clutched his head. "W-What is this feeling, what should I do, why it feels hurt?" he said with uncertain. "Is this… confusion?"

The children and one puppy stood around him, circling him. They looked at Minato with expectation.

"Minato, this is not the end, not yet…" the kid Akihiko said.

"You must stay, for our sake…" the kid Mitsuru added. "This is not like the last time…"

"You've helped us a lot, so this is time for us to help you, buddy…" the kid Junpei grinned. "C'mon, don't be shy!"

"You deserve a second chance, Minato. You deserve it like everyone else…" the kid Mitsuru said, smiling.

"Minato-kun, everyone loves you, and you should return. This is not the end…" the kid Fuuka said, wiping her tears. "It is not the end yet…"

"Bark!" the puppy Koromaru barked and it roughly translated into _"Minato-dono shall stay for our sake. It is not the end yet!"_

"We have your back, Minato-san. Don't worry, we'll always be with you…" the kid Ken said reassuringly.

"I… I don't know…" the kid Minato said. "A-Am I that important to all of you?" he asked.

"Yes you are," two voices spoke simultaneously before two girls appeared, one of them stood I front of Minato and the other one stood behind him. The one who stood in front of him was a brunette girl clad in pink dress and the one behind him was a blonde girl in blue sundress.

"I need you, we all need you, and…" the brunette girl said. "You need us too…" she offered her hand.

"Y-Yukari?" the kid Minato looked at the brunette girl in pink.

"This is not the end, not yet while you can prefer to stay, Minato-kun…" the girl behind him said while smiling. "After all, you are the man who returns, right?"

"A man… who returns?" the kid Minato said. "A-Aigis?"

"And you will return to us…" the kid Yukari said before she went to the kneeling Minato and hugged him. "Don't worry. You just don't used to it. After all, it happened to me once. That's why…" she said, caressing the kid Minato's face. "You need us…"

Then, the kid Aigis went to Minato and hugged him too. The others followed and they shared a big hug. Minato, the one who they hugged felt something very warm, yet so weird. It felt very good, and yet it felt suffocating at the same time. His body trembled before warm tears came out from his eyes and rolled on his cheeks.

"G-Guys…" Minato squeaked.

"Go on…" the little Aigis said reassuringly. "Don't hold it back. Don't hold your tears, Minato-kun…" she said, smiling as she placed her hand on Minato's cheek. "We'll be by your side…" then, she ripped her hand away from Minato's face and he felt like something was removed from his face. He could've sworn that he saw the little Aigis was holding a mask that resembled his face. "This mask, the mask that you use to hide this true feeling, you won't need it anymore…" she tossed it away.

"Guys…" Minato said as he sobbed. "T-Thank you…" he couldn't explain how it felt. He felt warm, comfortable, safe and happy while being surrounded by the younger version of his friends. The remnants of the crushed pearls of memories moved by to each other, reforming back the pearls into their original state.

Pharos who was floating among the pearls couldn't help but to smile as he looked at the group of children (plus a puppy) who was huddling around the little Minato. He glanced at the door before he sighed.

"Well… this is it…" he said. "Everyone deserves a second chance…" he said, tilting his head. "Go on, Arisato Minato, please appreciate the chance while you can…"

The limbo then was filled with bright, blinding light that engulfed them all.

~darkness~

All of them returned to their senses in a same time. They were inside the ward again, standing around the bed where Minato's body was located.

"What is that?" Chie muttered.

"I dunno…" Yukiko shook her head.

"This is… very weird…" Mitsuru said, placing her hand on her chest. "Yet, it feels comfortable at the same time…"

"Congratulation, guys…" then, Ryoji said. "You've given Minato a valuable lesson and this is it…" he smiled. "He will return to you all…"

"W-What do you mean, Ryoji-kun?" Yukiko asked. "W-Wait, are you saying Minato-san's going to return?" she said in amazement.

"W-Wait, what is this?" Ken exclaimed as the machine that attached to Minato's body, the one that supposed to support Minato's life seemed to make a pulse. Then he realized that Minato's fingers were moving. "Guys, look here!"

All of them looked at Minato in anticipation and gasped as they saw that Minato's brows were slightly moving. Then they heard Minato grunted before they saw a pair of bluish gray eyes being opened.

"I-Is this true?" Naoto stuttered. "B-Brother…" she said as tears came out from her sapphire eyes.

The newly-awakened Minato looked around while still lying on the bed before he said in croaky, weak voice, "I need water…"

"Minato!" all of them exclaimed. Minato slowly sat up and looked into Naoto's teary eyes.

"B-Brother…" Naoto said, choking back words. "W-Welcome back!" she said, hugging the older bluenette.

"N-Naoto…" Minato said as his little sister wrapped her hands around him before he patted his hand on Naoto's back. "I'm back…"

~darkness~

In a prison cell, a black-haired man was sitting on his bed. Instead of wearing his prisoner's garb, he clad in black blazer over his white shirt and black pants. He had trimmed his hair so it looked shorter than before.

"Tohru-kun, this is what you want…" a female voice was heard and a woman in uniform entered the room, holding a briefcase. The man, Adachi nodded as the woman placed the briefcase in front of him. She opened the briefcase, revealing its contents. A variety of firearms could be seen, from a handgun to revolver, rifle, grenade and… a bento that contained cabbage stew. Adachi frowned as he saw that.

"I guess you'll get hungry once you're out," the warden said, blushing. "So, I prepared this for you."

Adachi smiled and said, "Thanks, Akina-san…" Adachi looked into Akina'sa eyes. "So, you know it, right?" he said before he took out the revolver. Unexpectedly, he aimed the revolver to Akina, much to her surprise. Before she could voice out any protest, he fired out a bullet that grazed Akina's cheek.

"Aahh!" Akina cried in pain as the bullet grazed her face. A red line was formed on her right cheek, not deep but it certainly hurt. "W-What're you doing?" she asked.

"Sorry…" Adachi said, putting back the revolver into the briefcase. "I need to make it convincingly. You are the warden, so leaving you untouched while I'm breaking free from this place sure is unrealistic. Don't worry, it's not that deep. You'll be fine…" he said rather reassuringly.

Akina looked at Adachi with bemused face before she nodded. "I-I see…" she said. "So, you're finally leaving, eh?" somehow, her eyes looked sad. "Are you sure you're going to do it?"

Adachi nodded. "This is a thing that I should do, Akina-san…" he said. "I want to search for redemption and this is my only chance…" he said, looking at the wall of his cell.

"B-But, what about me?" Akina exclaimed before she placed her hand on her stomach. Her cheeks went red. "Are you sure you're going to leave us?" she said, emphasizing on the word 'us'. "I'm afraid… our child won't have a father…" she said rather timidly.

Adachi sighed before he recalled that wonderful event in one night. It felt surreal, but it was very breathtaking. He still could remember the warmth of her skin and lips, her sweet voice that pleaded him to go on, a voice that asked for satisfaction. Of course, the prison cell wasn't the best place for such thing, but it sure was a wonderful experience for both Adachi and Akina.

"I'll try to live, Akina…" Adachi said, dropping the suffix –san from Akina's name, trying to reassure the woman he loved but he certainly knew that Akina wouldn't buy it. She already knew all along that Adachi was going for his last act of service as a defender of justice, an act that he totally turned down in his time as a police officer. "Don't worry, my love. If I'm lucky, I'll return to you…" he said as he went nearer to Akina and stood in front of her. He leaned in and kissed her lips gently. After that, he walked towards the cell wall. "Goodbye, Akina. Take care…" he said before his body released a crimson aura.

Akina closed her eyes as the aura went brighter before an ethereal figure appeared above Adachi. It was a humanoid creature clad in black coat that was tainted with red malevolent veins. His eyes were red and he was holding a naginata. With a loud screeching voice, the creature, Magatsu Izanagi swung down his naginata, destroying the wall, creating a large hole on it.

"I love you, Akina…" Adachi said before he jumped out through the hole, leaving Akina with her awestruck face. She fell to her knees before tears came out from her eyes, rolling on her cheeks. Then she sobbed and began to cry.

"T-Tohru-kun…" she squeaked, burying her face with her hands. "P-Please return safely…"

~darkness~

Finally, the chapter is updated! I'm sorry if the chapter is cheesier than usual, but there it is. Like I've said before, I won't let Minato dies and he will play a major role after this. And as for Adachi, he finally joins the war. Please expect something awesome from him. As for the original character named Akina, although she's not that important, she'll play as a good motivation for Adachi to fight in the war. So, like usual, please drop your reviews, readers.

Albireo Imma


	74. The Cathedral

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 and 4)

Chapter 74: The Cathedral

Minato hadn't felt this alive before. He was surrounded by his friends who had their happy expressions plastered on their faces. Then he had to endure from being crushed by their hugs. Minato couldn't help but to chuckle as Junpei tearfully hugged him and rubbed his teary face on his shirt. Akihiko too, ruffled his blue hair before giving him a short hug. Even Mitsuru, one of the most serious female he ever knew, giving him a hug while saying that she's grateful to have him back.

After being hugged by practically everyone except Ryoji, Minato wanted to have a conversation with the man with yellow scarf, only two of them. All of them complied, figuring that Minato might need some times to rest and they went out from the room, leaving only both Ryoji and Minato.

"So, how it feels to be alive, Minato?" Ryoji asked. He was leaning on a wall, grinning.

"Well, it feels good, after all…" Minato replied, moving his hands. "So, when I was dead, did you consider returning to your place as an Avatar, Ryoji?" he asked rather solemnly.

"Tempted, but no thanks…" Ryoji shrugged. "I've something to deal with those scumbags, Serpent Tail I mean…"

"I see…" Minato mused. "Well, I'm tired. I think I'm going to need a long sleep before I can function properly as a member of human society again, heh," he smiled again before he put his head on his pillow. "Anyway, thanks, Ryoji…" he said before he closed his eyes and slept.

Ryoji sighed before he put his hand on his forehead before he slid down to the floor while his back was touching the wall. He was still smiling but his lips were visibly quivering. His eyes were covered by his hand that was touching his forehead. "Honestly, Minato…" he said before a single tear streamed down from his eye, rolling on his cheek. "I thought I won't be able to see you again. If I were a human, I might pray to the Gods so you won't die, but if humans pray to the gods, a Shadow prays to what?"

Then, Ryoji stood up and went to the sleeping Minato's side. Instead of a playful grin, a genuine yet painful smile was formed on his lips.

"The Gods created humans, and humanity created Shadows. Humans…" Ryoji placed his hand on his chest. "Humans created me from the essences of their darker selves. So, do I have a right to pray to your gods? Or… are the Gods a same being like Shadows too? Am I a Shadow or a God? Or… a human?"

~darkness~

"Thank the Gods, Minato-san's alive…" Souji muttered to himself while walking along the shopping district. As one of the members of Eaters, he was expected to bring along a weapon, a plain sheathed katana that was hung on his waist. He wore a black coat that bore the sign of Kushinada, a mark of Tomoe, a sign of one of Kushinada's warriors. Because of the lost of his right hand, the right sleeve was billowing by the wind due to the absence of the said hand.

The silver-haired warrior walked across a couple of fully-armed soldiers who were guarding the area. Those soldiers realized Souji's presence and gave him a salute. Souji nodded understandingly. Somehow, he felt the irony of 'betraying' the Serpent Eaters. He supposed to be labeled as a traitor, but instead, he was still viewed as one of the guardians of justice. He couldn't help but to sigh.

_"Sensei, is something troubling you?"_ Teddie's voice asked Souji within his mind.

Souji smiled. "It's nothing. Thanks for worrying, Ted…" Souji spoke to Teddie who was inside him. "It just feels kinda weird, you know? I betrayed them and still…" he smiled sadly. "I still get the respect as a hero…"

_"Sensei…"_ Teddie said worriedly.

"Anyway, let's look around, shall we? I need to some fresh air outside, after all…" Souji said before he continued to walk. The shopping district was not really different compared to the one he used to know. The only difference he could tell was the presence of the patrolling soldiers and policemen. While they were on duty, the citizens were doing just the same. Kids were playing, housewives were gossiping, teenagers were doing their own things, nothing interesting to say at least.

"Hi, young man…" then, a rather old voice was heard from behind. Souji turned around and saw an old man clad in green shirt and red pants. He was too old, his face wrinkled. He couldn't stand straight like a young man, considering his age. Souji recognized him. He was the one who gave him his fishing rod years before. It was surprising to see him around the shopping district. "It's been a long time, huh?" he gave Souji a toothy smile.

"Ah, long time no see, old man," Souji said, bowing to the old man.

The old man laughed heartily. "I remember you, young one. You're Seta Souji, right?" he grinned. "I never thought you're a part of the Serpent Eaters. Well, this world full with surprise, yeah?" then, the old man looked at Souji's empty sleeve.

"Screwed up during a fight, now I'm losing my dominant hand…" Souji said, touching the right sleeve. "It may take time for me to adapt with it…"

"Oh, poor thing," the old man said. "Oh well, the world is filled with obstacles too. While it can't be helped that we sometimes fall into it, all we can do is to face the obstacles. Hehe, you remind me of my youth, Seta…" the old man chuckled. "You know, when I was young, I used to practice my martial art at the back of Mount Yasogami. It's a good place to train and there's a church at the back of the mountain…"

"A church?" Souji frowned. Hearing that a church was in Inaba was weird, considering the population of the town folks as practitioners of Shintoism. He could only name a couple of folks who were Christians. It was his first time hearing that and it somehow piqued his interest. "Old man, tell me about it…"

"Oho, so you're interested, huh? Well, I'll tell you. In feudal era, the Western explorers came to this town and made their settlements, which located not far from the mountain. At that place, they built the foundation of the church. It was renovated numerous times before being officially shut down during the war…" the old man explained. "World War II, I mean. Well, what you guys call that place? C-Cat-thed-…"

"Cathedral? A huge church?" Souji said.

"Ah, it's huge. It's bigger than that building…" the old man pointed at the largest shop in the district. "You can even play soccer inside it, you know?" he said before he laughed.

"I see…" Souji mused. "Old man, it's nice to see you, but I have something to deal with. See you later," he said before he turned around, beginning to leave the old man.

The old man smirked mysteriously. "Remember, Seta Souji. You may find an ultimate truth at that place. You will face the challenge of the gods…" he said before he went away.

~darkness~

It was a good trip from the district to the backside of the mountain. Wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead, he arrived at the place the old man was talking about. Sure, it was a suitable place for training with some open places and the exposure to the environment, and then he saw something. It was a huge building, an old building, an old church.

"So, this is it…" Souji said before he went towards the church. He stood in front of the door of the said church before he placed his hand on the door, pushing it. "It's not locked," he said before he opened the door.

While it was rather dusty, the interior of the old church was kept intact and preserved. The furniture was seemingly untouched by age after the church being closed during the war. He looked around and saw numerous statues that were made in such refined craftsmanship. He stepped forward, going to the centre of the large chamber.

_"Sensei, I sense something here!"_ Teddie's voice cried in panic. Souji's warrior sense picked the presence before he placed his left hand on the hilt of his katana. Handicapped as he was, he had faith in his swordsmanship.

"Someone's definitely here…" Souji muttered, his eyes were searching for the said presence. He looked into each of the statues. Then, something flashed into his mind.

Souji's gasped in horror as he saw the visions of his demonic, dark version, the adjutant of Betrayal. He saw himself clad in black long-coat, having his head protected by a metallic helmet, standing on a building while looking at the scenery of death below him while laughing maniacally. Then the vision shifted into something else. He saw himself torturing Naoto, an action that he regretted doing.

His ears began to hear a legion of demonic voices as he caught a glimpse of hundreds of people in their rotten, grotesque form, surrounding him while wailing.

_You killed me!_

_ I don't want to die!_

_ Please, I want to see my daughter!_

_ No, no! It's dark, it's scary, mommy!_

_ Why are you doing this?_

_ Mom, dad, where are you? I'm scared!_

_ Please, tell me, where's my husband?_

_ I-It hurts…_

_ N-No! It isn't true! I don't want to die!_

"S-Stop…" Souji growled, covering his ears with his hands, wanting to get rid of those voices. The voices began to echo in such sinister fashion and they overlapped to each other, creating such a nightmarish noise Souji ever heard. "S-Stop it…"

_You killed me!_

_ You killed me!_

_ You killed me!_

_ You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me! You killed me!_

_**You killed me!**_

"Stop it!" Souji shouted before he fell to his knees. His ears were still covered but his body was quivering. Hearing those voices sure brought him such impact. "I-I'm sorry…" he said miserably. "I'm sorry…"

**"Heh, sorry for what?"** suddenly, a demonic voice was heard. Unlike the ones Souji heard in his head, the voice didn't come from his head. Rather, it was a real voice and the voice came from somewhere inside the chamber.** "Isn't that what you really want? Am I right, Hope?"**

Souji turned around, looking at a giant statue of a woman holding an infant before he saw a man clad in reddish black long coat, sitting on the statue lazily while having a long spear rested on his shoulder. He was wearing an Izanagi's helmet, much to his surprise. He resembled the Persona, Izanagi, or rather the darker and eviler version of Izanagi, Magatsu Izanagi. Then the evil-tainted Izanagi jumped down from the statue, landing on the floor before he outstretched both his arms to his side. **"Come on, don't give me that stupid look, can you?"** from his voice, Souji could tell the red Izanagi was grinning.

"What do you want?" with a single pull, Souji unsheathed his katana and assumed his battle stance. "Who are you?"

**"Can't you tell?"** the evil Izanagi asked, seemingly offended. **"I'm Izanagi, dumbass! But, you can call me… Emptiness…"**

"Emptiness…" Souji looked at Emptiness warily. "What do you want?"

Emptiness laughed, as like he saw hearing the stupidest question he ever heard. **"Isn't that obvious? I am here for judgment! I want to see if Hope is really what humanity wants!"** he said, half-amused.

"Hope? Humanity? What are you talking about?" Souji asked, confused by what Emptiness just said.

Emptiness laughed again. **"Tch, you're such a moron, Hope! Remember the test of humanity, remember the seed that Izanami planted into you! You are one of her pawns to see whether you're fitting as the representation of humanity or not!"** he swayed his hands casually. **"Man, you're so stupid, it makes you funny!"**

"Representation of humanity? W-Wait, the test isn't over?" Souji stuttered.

**"Of course it won't, asshole! It's only halted, but never over. That battle with Izanami is just foreplay! Today, you will see the ultimate judgment!"** Emptiness announced. **"And of course, I won't be alone while judging you…"**

"W-What?" Souji muttered before he heard a creaking sound from behind, like a sound of rusty hinge. The silverette turned around and saw another Izanagi, this time was brownish black in color, holding a rusty naginata. Unlike Emptiness, he wore a helmet covered with moss, dirt and rust. He moved rather sluggishly and every time he moved, the rusty sounds were made, as like every of his joints were rusty. The rusty Izanagi looked straight into Souji's eyes and it made him shuddered.

**"The test… will begin…"** the rusty Izanagi spoke in such raspy, metallic voice. His voice was similar to the sound of knife being scraped on a coarse stone. **"I am Despair…"**

** "And we are Izanagi…"** both Izanagis spoke simultaneously before both of them charged towards Souji.** "Brace yourself, Seta Souji!"**

Despite looking so sluggish, Despair moved in such surprising agility like Emptiness. Both of them brought down their naginatas onto Souji and he had to evade their attacks. Then both Despair and Emptiness attacked Souji at the same time. Two against one, an unfair duel and both Despair and Emptiness were physically taller and stronger than him, so he was troubled while battling them.

**"I want to see the quality…" **Emptiness spoke as he swung down his naginata onto Souji. He deflected it with a swipe.

** "…of a fool Izanami had chosen…" **Despair continued Emptiness' speech while aiming a stab on Souji. Once again, Souji deflected the assault.

**"And see whether he's worthy or not!"** both of them said in unison before both of them jumped back. Their naginatas released such brilliant glow before both of them bellowed. **"Thunder Reign!"**

"Gaaahh!" Souji growled in pain as an electric shock that came from two different sources went towards him. If it wasn't because of his affinity to electricity, he could definitely be burned by the said shock. As the blinding flash subsided, both Emptiness and Despair stood in front of and behind him respectively. Though not seriously injured, some bruises and burn marks were seen on Souji's body.

**"Come on! Show me the resolve of humanity upon hope!"** Emptiness bellowed, spinning his naginata.

**"And prove that it worth protecting…"** Despair added, looking at Souji while having his body making such rusty sounds.

With a growl, Souji moved before a blue card appeared in front of him. "Try me!" Souji bellowed before he crushed the card with a swipe of his katana. "Persona!"

~darkness~

Meanwhile, Adachi was riding a motorcycle while being chased by some cops. "Man, can't they give me a break once?" he grunted as he picked his speed. "Adios!" he shouted before he went away.

Living as a fugitive was hard for him, but he had to endure it a little more for the sake of redemption he's searching for.

He was wondering what's Akina was doing while he's being chased by the police.

He wished he could eat the cabbage stew she made at that moment.

No time, they were still chasing him.

And the chase continued.

Well, maybe next time. Back to the church we go.

~darkness~

Souji summoned Suzaku and Genbu, two mythical creatures, phoenix and giant turtle respectively. Suzaku let out a sharp cry before it breathed out flame towards Emptiness as Genbu let out a growl before spiky icicles emerged from the ground, assaulting Despair.

**"Are you thinking you will stop me with this puny flame?"** Emptiness snarled before he spun his naginata, magically extinguishing the flame. **"Pathetic!"**

As for Despair, some parts of his rusty body were frozen by Genbu's attack but he seemed nonchalant. **"To be treated in such lowly manner…"** he moved his body and the icicles broke, freeing himself from the clutch of the ice. **"How disgraceful."**

**"Come on! Show me the power that Izanami bestowed upon you!"** Emptiness bellowed before electricity flickered on his body. He charged towards Souji like a fast bullet train and Souji barely dodged his attack.

**"The power of Hope…"** Despair said in his raspy voice. **"Show me…"** he said before flame ignited on the ground he was standing. He then leaped towards Souji, leaving a trail of flame behind. With a powerful blow, he attacked Souji.

"Ugh!" Souji grunted as he withstood the attack. Suddenly, his silver eyes turned yellow before he pushed the naginata aside.

"Now I'm angry…" Souji hissed. "Come on, fight me!" he snarled.

Two smiles were hidden beneath the masks of both Emptiness and Despair.

**"Now…" **Despair said, watching Souji made his fighting stance. **"That's more I like it…"** he continued, making another rusty noise.

**"Come on, asshole…"** Emptiness spoke.

"Izanagi!" Souji shouted as he summoned Izanagi of the Fool Arcana and he was surrounded by azure light.

~darkness~

Finally, an action chapter is on! Thanks for those who are reviewing the last chapter. In this chapter, I will be focusing on Souji. Please expect something from him. So, as usual, please review it easy.

Albireo Imma


	75. Fear

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 75: Fear

Souji had battled those two Izanagi for almost a day and he didn't get a chance to rest because both Emptiness and Despair were attacking him simultaneously with such insane-leveled power that if it wasn't handled well, they might bring the old cathedral to collapse. Despite being able to stand against them, Souji couldn't help but to feel tired after battling them nonstop. If there were some chances to take a brief break, he would take them but those two insanely-strong entities didn't give him any of those chances.

**"Tired already? Don't make me laugh, can't you?"** Emptiness bellowed in his raging, hot-tempered voice. **"Show me more of your power, dumbass!"**

Souji grunted as Emptiness delivered a powerful blow onto him and he barely handled it. It would be easier for him to withstand the attack with both his hands. With the lack of his dominant hand, the chance of winning against two powerful entities thinned. Then he heard some creaking sound from behind and he knew it came from Despair.

**"Don't make me think that you don't meet my expectation, Hope…" **Despair said, his voice sounded like the noise of a blade scrapped on a rock. It sounded rusty and ancient. If felt like his throat never met water for his whole life. **"We are the judge, and believe me, this is just a beginning!"** he shouted and now his voice sounded like thousand blades clattering, clashing violently.

Both Despair and Emptiness charged towards Souji, aiming for his head. Souji evaded a stab from Despair as he deflected a slash from Emptiness. He wanted to make a counterattack but was failed as Emptiness grabbed his head from behind.

**"Hasta la vista, asshole!"** he shouted before he threw Souji towards a statue. His back slammed against the hard surface of the statue. Due to the powerful throw, the statue had broken into pieces as Souji's body slammed against it.

"Ergh… it hurts…" Souji grunted, picking himself from the rubbles of stones that were once a statue of a robed man. "If I can use my full power, maybe I can fight them better…" he said.

_"S-Sensei, I have a better suggestion! It may take a while though, but I'm sure it'll help you!"_ Teddie suggested.

"What is it, Teddie?" Souji asked, eyeing the two approaching Izanagi.

_"Just hold them for a while! Don't let yourself injured!"_ Teddie said.

"O-Okay, I'll do just that!" Souji nodded before he jumped high before he landed on one of the statues. Despair and Emptiness looked at him before they jumped towards him to chase him. Souji jumped onto another statue as Despair crushed the statue with a swing of his naginata. They were chasing him around for almost ten minutes before Teddie said to him.

_"Sensei, stand on the ground level! It's ready!"_ Teddie said and Souji leaped to the floor. As he landed on the floor, a runic mark suddenly appeared on the floor Souji was standing on. Despair and Emptiness were agitated for a while by the sudden appearance, so did Souji. _"Sensei, try to call me out like a Persona!"_

"W-What?" Souji was bewildered by Teddie's demand but he tried nonetheless. He closed his eyes, trying to recall how Teddie looked like. In his mind was a stuffed bizarre-looking teddy-bear. Then the image shattered before it turned into something else, something that was similarly familiar. The image sent a jolt into Souji's spine before he muttered. "Persona…"

Crash!

Instead of his regular Persona, he was calling out Kamui of the Star Arcana. The Persona was floating above him at it seemed to radiate something. Then he realized that frost began to form everywhere. The presence of the Persona seemed to make the temperature inside the cathedral fell drastically.

_"Create a barrier around Sensei!"_

An icy barrier was formed around Souji before some icicles emerged out from the ground, striking both Despair and Emptiness. They retreated some steps aback. Despair shrugged off the ice flakes from his shoulder, making the unpleasant rusty sound.

"Teddie, are you using your Persona power through me?" Souji asked in disbelief, looking at Kamui.

_"Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?"_ Teddie asked cheerfully.

"W-Well, yeah…" Souji nodded. "Now then, you'll help me battle these guys, right?" a smirk formed on his face. "Thanks for the help, Ted…"

_"Don't mention it, Sensei! I'll gladly help you out!"_ Teddie said enthusiastically. Souji smiled before he focused on Despair and Emptiness that had gained their composure. Emptiness seemed to be pleased by the sudden turn of event as Despair shook off the remaining of the ice flakes away from his shoulder, causing him to make more rustic sound.

**"Well, I did expect you to have some tricks in your sleeve…"** Emptiness commented. **"You've pleased me, Seta Souji…"**

**"Brilliant, simply brilliant…"** Despair said. **"But you'll need more than that to put both of us down…" **electricity flickered on his body before he bellowed in screeching, metallic voice. **"Now, prepare to taste our judgment!"**

By that, both Emptiness and Despair dashed towards Souji, attacking him at the same time. Kamui summoned a barrage of ice barriers, halting their movement for a bit but they managed to get through the barrier. Souji tried his best to use the advantages of his self-made environment to fight against both entities. Mustering his strength, he delivered a powerful kick on Emptiness' torso. Despite being a powerful blow, the entity just flinched for a bit. Souji immediately made another strike by making a roundhouse kick. Emptiness deflected the kick with the handle of his naginata.

**"Heaven's Judgment!"** Emptiness growled before he fired out a ray of lightning from the sharp tip of his naginata. The attack managed to directly hit Souji.

"Ergh!" Souji grunted in pain due to the direct hit. The ray paralyzed his body.

_"Sensei, are you alright?"_ Teddie cried.

"I'm alright, Ted…" Souji replied, picking himself. He was slightly paralyzed but he still could fight those two. Despair and Emptiness were looking at him, expecting something from him.

**"You've managed to withstand my grand judgment, Seta Souji. Heaven's Judgment can make thousand lives perish, and yet you are able to take it and still live to tell the tale of the pain you've sustain. You're truly exceeding our expectation, Hope…"** Emptiness said, seemingly congratulating him before he assumed a battle stance. **"But don't make yourself think that we're done with our judgment! It's far from over yet!"**

Thus, Emptiness and Despair continued their assault and the battle continued.

~darkness~

Meanwhile, in Satonaka residence…

"Mom, how many times I have to tell you? I'm not a doll!" Chie protested. Her mother, Yurie just giggled as she looked at her beloved daughter who dressed in yellow short-skirted kimono, thigh-high stockings and a pair of wooden geta. Yukiko and Naoto were also there, looking at Chie with amusement.

"But you're cute in that, Chie…" Yukiko commented.

"I agree with you, Senpai. The kimono suits you, really…" Naoto agreed as she looked at Chie.

"Hohoho, this is all thanks to Tatsumi-kun. He's the one who helped me making this stuff…" Yurie explained proudly. Chie was flabbergasted by the statement.

"W-What? K-Kanji-kun made this?" she exclaimed. "B-But, then again, he really has talent."

"Yeah, Kanji-kun is sure skillful when it comes to sewing stuff…" Naoto nodded.

"So, do you like the clothes?" Yurie asked, smirking. Chie's face reddened.

"I'm sure Yosuke-kun will like seeing this…" Yukiko teased, making Chie's face filled with more shade of red.

"Yeah, I can't disagree with that…" Naoto nodded again.

"A-Anyways," Chie tried to change the subject as she looked at Naoto. "Where's Minato-kun, I mean, your brother?"

Naoto chuckled before she replied, "He's been out of commission for a long time, so he decided to put himself into practice for a while with Yosuke-senpai and the others. He said he wanted to make sure that his body hasn't gone sloppy after that long sleep…" she explained.

"Oh, but doesn't he need some times to recover? I mean…" Yukiko tried to pick the suitable words so she wouldn't offend Naoto. "He's almost… you know…"

"He won't need that, at least what Ryoji-san said to me. Somehow, the negative effects on his body have vanished due to some inexplicable reasons. His body functions normally but still retains some characteristics of Shadow's blood from Ryoji-san. He still needs to limit himself though…" Naoto said.

"Oh…" Chie nodded. "Hey, Naoto-kun, I wanted to ask you since the beginning, but I'm afraid I might offend you since… well…" she hesitated. "This is about your brother…"

"Go on, Senpai…" Naoto said. "If it is about my brother, there's no reason for me to be offended with…"

"Well… what do you feel after finding out that Minato-kun is your brother? I mean, he's your long-lost brother. Yosuke told me that after both of you orphaned during that incident, he was sent to another relatives without your knowledge. And Ryoji-kun told me about Minato-kun never told you about himself being your brother because he was scared to tell you the truth. I mean, if I were you, of course I'll be happy to see my long-lost sibling, but considering that he's leaving me without words, there's no way I can leave him just like that without a couple of smacking…" Chie said.

Naoto was thinking for a moment, looking down. Then she replied, "About that, of course I've thought about slapping his face for a couple of time, but then…" a weak smile formed on her lips. "If I do just like that, I'm just being selfish. Between both of us, it's not me who's mostly affected by the incident. He's the one who had experience the incident at first hand. He had gone through numerous hardships that I can't imagine and he once died for the sake of our world. He had gone through a lot and I don't want to make him feel the same way again…" she said, trying to contain her emotion.

"Naoto-kun…" Yukiko looked at her with kind eyes.

Suddenly, all of them heard a loud explosion. Hastily Yukiko took out her iron-laced fan.

"Enemy?" she said, preparing herself for anything that would come out.

"Don't worry, Senpai. It's just a demonstration just outside the house. My brother and the others are doing their practice in front of this house and other people are seeing them just for a show. This is Ryoji-san's idea though. He said that we should make people familiar with the Serpent Eaters so they won't get panicked if it's a real battle…" Naoto explained helpfully.

"Oh, if that the case, I want to see them…" Yukiko said before she walked out from the house, followed by the others. Then they saw the event that was held outside the house. Many people gathered to see the battle demonstration. Some of them were looking at the displayed battle with awe, as some others were cheering and taking pictures.

Those who were battling were Minato, Yosuke and a man in full samurai armor. Minato was armed with his weapon that he's familiar with, a rapier while Yosuke was armed with a dagger and a katana. The man in full samurai armor was armed with two katanas. In the battle demonstration, Minato and the man with full samurai armor were battling Yosuke.

"Umm… who's the one in the armor?" Yukiko asked.

"Can't you tell? That's Daidara-san. You know, he's eager to wear that in battle, so in this demonstration, he wears it for fun…" Chie explained with a shrug. "But it looks like Yosuke was fighting with Minato-kun and Daidara-san…"

Despite wearing the heavy samurai armor, Daidara was quite agile and a formidable opponent for Yosuke. They were battling using the real weapons and the people around could tell that since three of them had told the people about it. Regarding Minato, despite being armed with a single rapier, unlike Yosuke and Daidara who were dual-wielding, he was fast and strong, as like his almost-death experience never happened to him before. Daidara and Minato were attacking Yosuke simultaneously and Yosuke managed to hold all their attacks, albeit in difficulty.

"Graaahh!" Yosuke let out a shout before he mustered his strength to push both Minato and Daidara behind with his assault. Both Minato and Daidara were looking at each other for a while before both of them nodded in agreement. Daidara stepped back as Minato forwards, facing Yosuke.

Minato swung his rapier upwards and Yosuke evaded it in paper-thin margin. But then Yosuke realized that it was merely bait as Minato's foot touched his stomach before he was thrown behind by a kick. While he was thrown behind, Minato jumped and attacked Yosuke while he was still in air. While both of them were still in the air, they exchanged slashes and parries, much to the amazement of others.

Yosuke safely landed on the ground while still holding against Minato who landed in front of him. Then they brought up their weapons, seemingly wanting to blow their ultimate strikes. Then they brought their weapons down and the weapons collided, making the sound of clashing metals.

"Phew, that was great…" Minato sighed, putting his rapier on his shoulder. "Yosuke, you're great. It's a pleasure to fight you, you know?" he grinned.

"Likewise, Minato-san, I've never anticipated this kind of fight before," Yosuke showed his fist to Minato and Minato smiled before he showed his. Their fists met each other, signifying their recognition to each other's strength.

"You youngsters sure are energetic," Daidara came to them before he removed his helmet. "It reminds me about my time as a green leaf, you know? Anyway, you're the third one who had impressed me in combat, Hanamura…" he placed his hand on Yosuke's shoulder.

After meeting with people, giving autographs or such, both Yosuke and Minato retreated back into Chie's house as Daidara excused himself to go back to his house. Naoto offered a towel to Minato so he could wipe his sweat.

"You're really awesome, brother! I'm really happy to see you in good shape," Naoto said, smiling to Minato. The older bluenette couldn't help but to blush.

"Umm… thanks, Naoto…" Minato said awkwardly.

Then Naoto started talking to Minato like a curious child. Yukiko and Chie just looked at two blue-headed siblings before Yosuke emerged from the kitchen, drinking a glass of orange juice.

"Man, I've never seen Naoto being so happy like this…" Yosuke said, taking another sip of the juice.

"Well, she can't help it…" Yukiko said. "I feel happy for both of them after all…" she looked back at both Naoto and Minato. The older blue-haired one tossed the towel (which had reeks of sweat on it) on Naoto's head, teasing her. Naoto squealed in protest before she puffed her cheeks and threw the said towel to Minato's face.

Yosuke watched the newly-made sibling's antic before he sighed. "I guess it's going to be fine, as long as their relationship doesn't turn unhealthy…"

"I heard that, Yosuke!" Minato said in rather threatening voice.

"S-Sorry, Minato-san, how silly my mouth can get!" Yosuke said apologetically to Minato. Then he looked at the others. "Anyway, have you seen Souji? I haven't seen him since this morning…"

"Ah, he contacted me last night. He said he's going somewhere…" Yukiko told him. "I asked him why, and he said he wanted to clear his mind for a bit…"

"Is that so? Well, I can't blame him for that…" Chie said. "I wonder how we can help him since he lost his right hand," she said.

"At least he still got his left one…" Yosuke shrugged before he finished the juice. "Man, cold drink after a tough exercise sure is great!" he exclaimed.

"W-Wait, what are you drinking, Yosuke?" Chie asked.

"Orange juice, why? I found it in the fridge. It was unopened, so I decided to drink it…" Yosuke said.

"W-What? Y-You drink my juice?" Chie exclaimed, making Yosuke startled. "I supposed to be the first one to drink it! Now you ruined it!"

"What the hell are you talking, Chie? It's just orange juice…" Yosuke said anxiously. "It's not like you're gonna die by not drinking it…"

"B-But… I'm the one who should drink it first…" Chie squeaked weakly before she glared at Yosuke. "Hanamura Yosuke, do you completely understand what does it mean? Do you understand what will come to you if you drink my ORANGE JUICE?" her hazel eyes turned red, activating her Red Eyes. Yosuke was taken aback by the activation of the said eyes.

"Hanamura Yosuke, I, Kushinada Chie, will hereby sentence you for a heavenly punishment which takes form of a kick on your groin. Now, brace yourself!" Chie announced before she went towards Yosuke.

"Wha-! Hell no, I won't take it!" Yosuke said before he retreated to the kitchen.

"Resistance is futile, my knight! You, as my servant are bound to my will, and my will is to punish you and turn you into bloody pulps!" Chie bellowed with rage as she chased Yosuke to the kitchen. Then the others heard a loud kicking sound before being followed by a loud crying voice.

"Well… here they go again…" Yurie sighed.

Meanwhile, both Minato and Naoto were oblivious of the predicament that was faced by a poor soul named Yosuke since they were busy bonding their family bond.

~darkness~

Emptiness dealt another terrific blow of wind that could shatter some of the statues around. Souji withstood the attack but he couldn't protect himself from being injured by the cutting wind. As Souji tried to regain his bearing, Despair was attacking him from above with a powerful ray of electricity. It directly hit Souji and again, he managed to survive the attack but he was still paralyzed by the shock.

**"Come on, Seta Souji!"** Despair said with a bellow. **"The judgment never waits!"** he landed in front of Souji and delivered a powerful punch on Souji's torso.

"Guuh!" Souji grunted by the said attack. He tried to not pass out but due to the punch, he suffered an intense pain on his stomach. He predicted that Despair might have injured his muscular tissue. Before he could find any chance to recover, Despair grabbed his head and tossed him aside.

**"Man, you still don't understand what it means 'judgment' for you? How pitiable…"** Emptiness said in mocking tone. Souji picked himself, this time with difficulty due to the pain he sustained from Despair's punch. **"You never try to understand it, don't you? The one that you should fight isn't me, or him!"** Emptiness pointed his sharp finger to Despair. **"The one you truly fight is something hidden, something fine, and yet stronger than any of us. Fine as it can be, it affects everything a human can relate with!"**

"It affect everything… a human can relate with?" Souji muttered.

**"And yet, you won't be able to find it out…"** Despair said. **"It is due to you don't meet our expectation. The result is obvious, you're failed!"**

Souji's eyes widened in surprise and realization as both Emptiness and Despair charged towards him. He began to understand what they meant about the judgment. Yes, it seemed to make sense now. He finally understood the reasons of the judgment. Whatever it was, he would bring an end of this.

There, Souji stood motionlessly as both Izanagi approached him with their naginata in their hands. Beneath their helmets, smiles were formed.

Stab!

**"So you've realized it, don't you?"**

Souji smirked, a reaction that shouldn't be displayed when a pair of sharp objects was stabbed into his body. And yet, he felt nothing as Despair and Emptiness stabbed his chest with their weapons. He didn't feel the pain from their attacks and blood didn't come out from the place where they stabbed him.

**"In the end, you understand it rather well…"** Despair commented. **"The one that you should confront isn't any of us, but something else…"** with a flash, everything inside the cathedral reverted back into its initial state with the scattered statues returned back into its original shape. Souji didn't feel tired as like he never fought both of them. He checked himself and found no injuries.

"It is… the fear to death…" Souji said.

**"Yes, it is the fear of death. Even the greatest warrior will fall due to this fear. Every time you fight, you are staring death with your own eyes, and as small as it can be, the possibility of dying in battle sure is there. This fear is innate in human being and most people try to deal with this kind of fear by eliminating the source of this fear, or by defeating the opponent as quickly as possible,"** Emptiness explained. **"And yet, you managed to vanquish your fear of death in rather brilliant way…"**

**"By accepting that fear is a part of humanity, there's nothing to be judged with. Now, you, Seta Souji, the bearer of Hope, the holder of Truth, have passed the trial. The test against humanity has completed and you are the only one that has succeeded to bring such trial into its end…"** Despair announced.

"So, it's finally over, isn't it?" Souji sighed. "Am I right, old man?"

An old man was sitting near a statue with a fishing rod in his hand. He was smiling benevolently to Souji. "My, my, I've been found out. How long have you known about this?"

"Just a couple of seconds ago, I guess…" Souji shrugged. "Anyway, the time for you to remove the guise has arrived, old man…" he said. "Or rather, Izanagi…"

The old man chuckled before he mysteriously vanished and reappeared between Despair and Emptiness. Both Despair and Emptiness nodded before their body glowed and turned into white particles. Those particles merged with the old man before he morphed into something else, something leaner and taller. The fishing rod in his hand had turned into a metallic naginata with golden lining. The old man had turned into Izanagi, or rather Izanagi-no-Okami, the lord of Gods.

"I am Izanagi-no-Okami, the Original God. I've been watching you since you've become Izanami's pawn. I took the guise of that old man to provide you some supports in your journey to find the truth, providing you some materials in exchange for the fish you've caught. Now you've passed the test, it is my duty to congratulate you…" he said in rather human-like voice, kind and benevolent, unlike his previous incarnations, Emptiness and Despair who had demonic and ancient voice respectively.

"I see…" Souji mused. "So, what will you do to me after this?" he asked.

"I think you'll need this…" Izanagi-no-Okami handed Souji a sword with ancient markings on it. "This is the sword forged on heaven, cooled in Biwa Lake and it possessed the power to defeat the greatest living thing in the world. You may find it handy at times…" he shrugged. "Ah, and one more thing, sooner or later, you'll be able to use that power of yours in without problem. All you have to do is to wait for it…" he said.

"Is that so? Thanks…" Souji nodded.

"Well, see you later, Seta Souji. And remember this, in this battle against the embodiment of evil, please bear it into your mind that I'll be always watching you, giving you the most indirect way to support you. I am on your side and remember it well…" Izanagi-no-Okami said before he turned into mist, leaving Souji in the empty, abandoned church.

"So there is a God in my side after all? Well, that's relieving…" Souji said before he looked at his reflection on the metallic surface of his sword. "The power to defeat the greatest living thing in the world, and now, I wield it…"

~darkness~

Hi, it's me, Albireo Imma. Chapter 75 is updated to be reviewed! I hope you guys will like this chapter. In this note, I want to state that Adachi isn't a complete douchebag. In fact, he's the foil of Yosuke because they bear some notable similarities. Because of that, I don't want to call Adachi a completely douchebag because if I do, I'll be indirectly calling Yosuke a complete douchebag. And for addition, in the end of the game, Adachi is providing the final clue of the mastermind of the incident. So, please take note that Adachi is redeemable no matter how douchebag he is. There is something that we call 'character development'. Well, please review this chapter and thank you.

Albireo Imma


	76. Souji the One Armed Warrior

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 76: Souji the One-Armed Warrior

Being handicapped was one of the massive flaws of a warrior, and it seemed that Seta Souji was handicapped by the loss of his right dominant hand. But being handicapped didn't lower the level of baddassery of that certain gray-haired warrior. In fact, he looked cool with that fluttering unoccupied sleeve of his. Despite that, he still got some problems with the lack of hand.

Let's start with his girlfriend, Amagi Yukiko.

"Its okay, Yukiko…" Souji sighed. "At least I still have another one…" he showed his left arm to Yukiko. The black-haired woman who was sitting in front of him was sobbing miserably after talking about their future. "I mean, there are still many things I can do with one arm left. W-Well, I'm still studying, of course, but it doesn't mean I can't help myself after losing my right hand…" Souji said.

"B-But, Souji-kun…" Yukiko squeaked. "What will happen when we're married?"

"Ah…" Souji was stunned by the topic. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting such sacred topic; marriage. Of course, he decided to propose Yukiko after his graduation from the university. But with the lack of right hand (which might bring some unfortunate implications), he felt sorry for her for having a disabled husband in her possible future. "I… I never thought about any of that…"

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko said weakly before she leaned towards Souji, resting her head on Souji's wide chest. "I have to admit that seeing you in this state make me…" she hesitated for a while as she bit her lip. "…disgusted a bit, just a bit…" she touched the empty sleeve. "I wish for a perfect husband, someone that worth living with, but…" she looked up, looking into Souji's silver eyes. "That's so selfish of me, wanting to have only the good things for me…"

"Yukiko…" Souji stared into Yukiko's dark, teary eyes.

"You've accepted me, a real me…" Yukiko continued, her fingers lingering on Souji's face. "You never let me down, so that's why I want to accept you too. B-But, y-your hand…" she started crying again.

"Yukiko, calm down…" Souji tried to comfort his girlfriend before the door of the room was opened. Yukiko and Souji turned their attentions to the door only to find a red-haired woman clad in black jacket. "M-Mitsuru-san?"

Mitsuru gave the couple a small smile before she spoke. "I heard it from outside. At first, I came here to speak to you about your condition, Souji-san. I apologize for intruding your privacy…" she said apologetically.

"N-No, t-that's okay…" Souji shook his head, hiding his embarrassment while Yukiko found it was too hard for her to prevent the shade of red from spreading across her cheeks.

"I understand how it feels, Souji-san. Losing a dominant limb sure brings you some… unfortunate implications, but with modern technology nowadays, the problem can be solved with the help of prosthetic limb. Kirijo Corporation has developed that kind of technology and I assumed as well to help you out once the development has completed…" Mitsuru explained helpfully.

"A-Are you saying Souji-kun will get his hand back?" Yukiko asked in disbelief. "T-Thank you so much, Mitsuru-san! Do you know how helpful it is?" she said thankfully and tearfully to the older woman.

"T-That's…" Mitsuru stammered as Yukiko looked at her with those appreciative eyes. "W-Well, I guess that's the only way I can help you people…" she said. "The project is still under development. I'll inform both of you once it's completed."

Then, Junpei and his wife, Chidori came to the room. "Souji, 'sup? You look good for a man without an arm!" he exclaimed, studying Souji's face. "Here, we brought you some cakes from Port Island," Chidori gave Yukiko a box of variety of cakes.

"Souji-san, are you okay?" Chidori asked with concern. "I guess it must be hard to live with only one hand…"

"Chidori-san, he'll be okay for sure!" Yukiko said happily, glomping her boyfriend. The action made Souji yelped. "Mitsuru-san said that he'll get a prosthetic arm! I'm sure he'll be okay with that!"

"Whoa, a prosthetic arm, eh? Now that's cool, man…" Junpei commented.

Chidori was looking at Mitsuru expectantly. "Mitsuru-san, are you making him a hand that can fire out his fist like a missile?" she said, her eyes gleaming with her otaku-ish imagination. With that, all of them were imagining Souji with a robotic hand that could fire out a missile with his fist.

"POWAH CANNON!" the imaginary Souji with robotic arm shouted out such hot-blooded command as he fired out his fist missile._  
_

"Snrk! T-That…" Yukiko tried to suppress her laughter but she failed spectacularly as she laughed at the idea of her boyfriend could fire out a missile with his arm. "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Souji sighed. "That's impossible, Yukiko…"

"Ooh, ooh, maybe we can replace Souji-san's hand with a drill! You know, just like that anime I watched sometimes ago…" Chidori said. Junpei couldn't help but to stare at his beloved wife.

"Chidori, since when did you start watching shonen stuff? I thought you're only watching girl stuff…" Junpei asked.

"Since I found that Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann at Anime Shop…" Chidori winked.

With Chidori's 'great' idea and Yukiko's spectacular laughter, Souji couldn't find any sign of stopping between both of them. After several tries to stop the nonsense, Junpei finally gave up and followed them with the contribution of the silly ideas regarding Souji's new arm. The ones that were left out from the madness were Souji himself and Mitsuru. "Well, it's getting out of control, I guess. But I think its better this way. I'm glad to see Yukiko's happy again…" Souji said.

"I won't be able to disagree with that one, Souji-san…" Mitsuru said, smiling at Souji.

~darkness~

In kendo, two hands gave more power while wielding a sword. With the lack of the dominant arm, the power of wielding a sword sure could be lessened and Souji couldn't help for that. He blamed it for himself for his recklessness and idiotic move. In fact, the one who helped 'cutting' that said arm was no one but his closest friend, the Knight of Princess Kushinada, Hanamura Yosuke.

"Man, I'm sorry for cutting your hand…" Yosuke said apologetically. "I mean, of course I'm angry with you at that time, but I went overboard…" both Yosuke and Souji were standing near the river.

Souji laughed before he stared into Yosuke's hazel eyes. "Nah, it's not a really big deal. You're right for cutting my right hand, in fact. After all, all those crimes I committed, losing that arm is the way for me to atone for all my mistakes…" he said forlornly.

"Dude, I know how it feels…" Yosuke said, trying to support his handicapped best friend. "Sometimes, people do mistakes. You've done that foolish one, and me, I did 'em a lot," his expression turned melancholic. "Seeing people dying before my eyes and not be able to save any of them, that's my greatest mistakes…" he said. "That's why I want to be strong, and I am a leader now, so I must be stronger…"

Souji smiled. "Yosuke, sometimes it takes me a while to realize that you're Yosuke. Now, you're standing in front of me as our leader, the one who I can trust…" he put his single hand on Yosuke's shoulder. "Yosuke, appointing you as the leader isn't a mistake after all…"

Yosuke blushed by the silverette's compliment. "D-Dude, I'm not that good at all!" Yosuke admitted humbly. "I'm afraid I may end up screwed up!"

"And I'll be always beside you. I have your back…" Souji replied.

"Yosuke, what in the world are you doing here?" suddenly a shrill female voice that could only be owned by no other than that certain someone was heard. Yosuke could be seen visibly gulped.

"Oh crap, she found out!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Yoooooosukeeeeeeeeeee!" then the person of nightmare for Yosuke appeared behind him. Slowly, Yosuke turned back and almost shrunk into a minimized scale as he saw the mistress, the one who literally held his leash, a certain petite woman clad in green short-skirted kimono and white boots (Yosuke panicked as he saw the boots. It wasn't good view after all. The boots seemed hard) was looking furiously at him. "Do you want to eat dog food tonight again for leaving me without telling?"

"N-No, please don't! You may kick anything around my body, including the one between my legs, but please don't feed me with those shit again! Please, don't do this to me!" Yosuke pleaded.

"Umm, I'm sorry, Chie, but I'm the one who called him here…" Souji said. Chie looked at Souji and soon her expression softened after looking into his silver eyes and his empty sleeve.

"Oh, it's you, Souji-kun…" Chie said, realizing her mistake. "Umm… I'm sorry…" she said bashfully. "I went overboard, wasn't I?"

"Hey, how about me, Chie? No 'sorry' or whatever it is?" Yosuke protested.

"Yeah, yeah… sorry…" Chie said. "Anyway, the old man Gin wants to see you. He wants to see you now, I guess…" she shrugged.

"Oh, is that so?" Yosuke frowned. "Well, see ya later, partner!" Yosuke said, jumping high onto an electrical pole before he quickly jumped from the pole onto another, disappearing from their view.

Souji looked at Chie's face. "Chie, you should be nicer to him…" he said.

Chie weakly nodded. "I-I know…" she said. "I was mean to him, right?" she sighed. "Heh, what a bad mistress I am…"

"You're not if you can change…" Souji replied.

Chie chuckled. "Yeah, I need to change. I should stop bullying Yosuke. He's not a toy…" then she placed her hand on her chest. "B-But… sometimes I can't control myself. I know Yosuke can be quite a jerk, but sometimes, his presence makes me feel… strange. It annoys me and the result…" she sighed again. "I abused my power over and over again…"

"Oh, that's interesting…" Souji mused white stroking his chin. It's time for being a warrior therapist, he thought. "Tell me, Chie. Whenever you're around him, does something happen to your head? I mean, like headache or whatever it is…" he said.

"Umm… now you mention it, whenever I am closer to him, I feel like my heartbeats doubled. I feel like I have two hearts," Chie placed her hand on her left chest. "They beat separately and I am annoyed by that. But sometimes, I feel like the beats seem to be in same pace and…" she paused, seemingly wanting to search for suitable words. "I don't know how to describe it perfectly, but it feels good. I feel warm when it happens."

Souji was thinking for a moment before he smiled. "I guess that's one of the side-effects of Eternal Obligation between you and Yosuke. It's implied that once the pact is made, your souls are linked. I guess you're feeling Yosuke's heartbeats…" he grinned.

"I'm feeling… Yosuke's heartbeats?" Chie frowned.

"Say, do you feel anything about him?" Souji asked. "Do you have any feeling to him, like… love?"

Suddenly imaginary steams puffed out from her ears before her face changed into deep shade of red. "W-W-What're you talking about, Souji-kun? T-There's no way I can 'love' that jerk! He's a moron, a total dickhead! He's an insensitive guy who can only piss me off!" she said with such denial while having herself flustered.

"Well, lie yourself whatever you like…" Souji shrugged. "But you can't deny your true self for too long, am I right?" he said.

"I-I…" Chie stuttered. "I don't know…" she said. "I don't know who I should believe…" she looked like she was going to cry. "Ergh, stupid tears, don't come out…" she said, wiping the tears that came out from her eyes.

"Calm down, Chie. Just take your time, okay? Don't force yourself too much…" Souji said with reassuring smile. "After all, you're the princess…" he smirked.

Chie chuckled after wiping the last bit of her tears. "Thanks, Souji-kun. I know I can always rely on you. I wish I can be more useful for you since you lost your hand…" she said.

Souji shook his head. "There's no need for that, Chie. I still can live with this…" he showed his left hand. "I know it's gonna take a while, but I'll live so I can protect you, Yosuke, Yukiko, Aigis-san and everyone…" then Chie realized one of the names Souji emphasized.

"Souji-kun, I've been always wondering about this, but out of all the Persona-users from Port Island, how come you get somewhat closer to Aigis-san? Did something happen?" Chie asked.

"Oh, that…" Souji scratched the back of his head. "Well, she's actually my Senpai at university. I guess you can say that she's like a sister figure to me. Hehe, it's funny, right? I have a robot sister…" he said. "Actually, it's fun to have a sister like her. She's cool, you know?"

"Umm… maybe I shouldn't ask this, but when Yukiko knew about this, what's her reaction?" Chie asked.

Souji laughed nervously by the question. "It's… complicated, I guess. It happened during my first year at university when I sent my pictures to Yukiko. There was one time when Aigis-san took pictures with me, so I sent one of them to Yukiko without knowing it and Yukiko ended up not contacting me for two months…" he said sulkily.

"Oh, so that's how it is…" Chie said. "So, what happened after that?"

"Well, it ended after I explained it thoroughly to her…" Souji said. "She apologized to me for misunderstanding and she asked me to send her regards to Aigis-san, maybe thanking her for taking care of me…" he said.

"Haha, that's Yukiko I know…" Chie chuckled. "Oh, do you have free time today? If you do, how about a little practice?" she asked.

"Asking a handicapped man for a fight, huh?" Souji asked, smiling.

"No, that's not it. You know, just the usual stuff we did before. My Mom taught me some pretty cool moves, so I think I want to show you a bit of 'em and see if you have some suggestions or not…" Chie explained. She loosened her obi sash of her kimono before she took it off, revealing her sleeveless green shirt and black tight shorts. She did some stretching before she looked at Souji confidently. "I wanna get stronger too…"

"Oh…" Souji mused before he took off his jacket. "Well, show me what you got, Chie…"

~darkness~

After practicing for some hours, Souji walked Chie to her home. He had to admit that Chie had gone stronger than before. The new moves that she learned from her mother, while they looked more like dancing moves, they were quite fascinating to see. Those moves seemed to be originally made for swordsmanship (resulting the more movements for hands) so Souji suggested some improvements and alterations for the moves. The rest went just fine after that.

After bringing Chie home, he received a phone call from his uncle, Dojima who was asking about his condition. Like the rest of police officers, Dojima would be busy with stuff like providing protection to civilians. Because of being too busy, his daughter, Nanako was sent to her teacher's house for a temporary shelter. While Dojima mentioned about the teacher, he sounded a bit agitated and Souji understood it well.

Souji still got many free time left so he decided to go somewhere else.

…

"Thanks for visiting, Senpai…" the blue-haired detective poured a cup of tea for Souji. He decided to visit Naoto. Kanji and Aigis were there as well for some unknown reasons. "Umm… do you need something else, Senpai?" Naoto asked while glancing at Souji's sleeve.

"I'm alright for now, Naoto…" Souji said, giving a gentle smile to Naoto. He realized that Naoto seemed worried about his condition. "Don't worry too much about it, okay?"

"Ah, I apologize," Naoto said while bowing. Her cheeks seemed to be slightly reddened. "But, in this kind of circumstances, it is normal for me to get worried about your condition. With the loss of one of your hands, the capability to perfectly wield your weapon will be decreased…"

"Yes, it is…" Aigis who was sitting beside Souji nodded. She raised one of her hand before it released out a hissing sound. "Not only that, your accuracy, balance and agility may get afflicted as well. While it is not impossible for human to get adapted to the new change where he loses one of his functioning limbs, it will take tremendous trainings and survival skills to make the adaptation happens…" the gynoid explained helpfully.

"Haha, you guys worried too much about him," suddenly, Minato came. He dressed in blue shirt and black pants. "Well, it may be disadvantageous for him with only one hand available, but I'm sure he'll make up for it fast…"

"Yeah, I agree with you, Minato-san…" Kanji nodded. "After all, Senpai I know won't get whopped with only one arm left," he clenched his fist confidently.

Souji chuckled before he smiled. "Thanks, Kanji. I know you'll always believe in me." Then he looked at Aigis. "Okay, another topic. Aigis-san, what're you doing here?" he asked the gynoid. The blonde mechanical maiden seemed to be visibly shaken by the question.

"I…" she tried to find suitable words to say to Souji. "I am here for Minato-kun. While he may be totally fine, I'm still worried about his condition. I am here to monitor his well-being…" she said, her face seemed red, seemingly human enough for a robot.

"Oh, okay…" Souji mused before he looked at Kanji. "And, how about you, Kanji?"

"Uh, oh, I'm here to see Minato-san's condition too," Kanji said, avoiding eye-contact with the silver-haired man. "Umm… I think that's it…"

"Oh, don't forget to mention about you being worried about Naoto, okay?" Minato said, giving a teasing smirk to Kanji. Kanji seemed to be visibly shocked, Aigis covered her mouth with her hand, trying to not laugh and Naoto was bewildered by Kanji's reaction.

"M-M-Minato-san, what're you talkin' about?" Kanji exclaimed.

Minato chuckled before he placed his hand on his younger sister's head. "Don't worry, Kanji-kun, my baby sister Naoto is safe with me…" he mischievously smirked to the taller guy. "It's not like I don't trust you. In fact, both you and Naoto seem to be a perfect match of couple…"

"Huh?" Naoto turned to her brother, seemingly confused.

"M-Minato-san!" Kanji protested.

"Hmm… I strongly believe that," Souji nodded in agreement. "Do you think so, Aigis-san?" he turned to the blonde gynoid.

"Yes, both of them are such perfect match…" Aigis said, nodding.

"W-Wha- not you too!" Kanji cried out. Then Minato, Souji and Aigis continuously teased both poor young people, making Naoto equally flustered and bewildered.

"Ah…" Naoto seemed to considerably shrink by the teases. "Wha…" despite being an experienced detective, the assaults of teases from three different sources seemed to be too much for her poor heart. "S-Stop it…" she pleaded, her eyes turned glassy. "K-Kanji-kun, p-please stop them…" she turned to Kanji, pleading to him to stop the mental assaults.

"Uh…" Kanji stared into Naoto's blushing face. He gulped before he took several steps aback.

_"Embarrassed face, teary eyes, pleading voice, urgh… so moe…"_

Splurt!

"Ah, you're bleeding, Kanji-kun!"

"Oh my, it happens again…"

"Naoto, take the tissue, now!"

"Yes, brother!"

"Hang in there, Kanji-kun! Don't excite yourself!"

"Too… moe…"

Poor soul…

~darkness~

It's already dark when Souji came to his house. The house was empty because Nanako was living with her teacher while Dojima was busy with many works. Souji yawned before he took out the keys from his pocket.

_"Oh, are you having fun alone, Sensei?"_ suddenly Teddie's voice rang inside Souji's mind. Souji smiled by hearing Teddie's voice.

"Yeah, sorry for not waking you up, Ted…" Souji said, unlocking the door of the house. "I'm beat, Teddie. Let's call it a day and take a good, warm bath…" he said.

_"Ooh, ooh, can I take over your body after this?"_ Teddie said excitedly.

"No…" Souji said.

_"C'mon, Sensei… I promise I won't sneak out at night to sneak into Yuki-chan's house again! I don't want to be a burden to you again, Sensei…"_ Teddie said, sounding melancholic. _"You've lost an arm, so I don't want you to lose anything you cherish again. I will protect you, Sensei, no matter in one way or another!"_

Souji smiled by hearing Teddie's spirited promise. With a sigh, he replied to Teddie, "Thanks, Teddie… but only for tonight, okay?"

_"You're the best, Sensei! I love you!"_

"Yeah, yeah… let's get a bath…" Souji said, entering the house.

Sometimes, even if you lost your hand, it wouldn't be a problem for you as long as you're surrounded by the people that you called 'friends'. When you lost your hand, your friends would be your 'hand'.

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma. This is Souji-centric chapter as you can see and I want to portray his life as a handicapped warrior and his interaction with his friends in that kind of condition. I make him interact with all his teammates except Rise who is out of focus for this arc (being taken into Tsukuyomi's sure helps). As usual, please review. And Merry Christmas!

Albireo Imma


	77. Kanji's Declaration of Love

The Darkness Within Us

Written by Albireo Imma

I never own Persona (3 or 4)

Chapter 77: Kanji's Declaration of Love

"The position of the dead body is strange," Naoto muttered, looking at the screen of the television while holding a game controller. "The blood pattern on the wall is inconsistent with the position of the dead body," she looked into the screen seriously. Her brother, Minato was looking at the screen curiously.

"Indeed. Apart of that, the door was clearly closed and locked when the murder happened," Minato said, pointing his finger to the screen. "Considering the victim is the owner of the mansion, it is possible for the butler, Mr. Kazami as the killer since he's the only one who has the key of his room," Minato suggested, pointing at the sprite of a middle-aged butler in the screen.

"Hmm… there's a possibility for Mr. Kazami as the killer, but he's got a solid alibi," Naoto said, shaking her head. She moved her playable character with her joystick. "Let's consider that all individuals that have access into the victim's room have the possibilities to be the murderer. The maids, the victim's physicist, Dr. Oka, the victim's eldest son, Mr. Takeshi, all of them do have access into the victim's room because the maids will bring foods for the victim, Dr. Oka is one of people the victim trusted and Mr. Takeshi is the one who talked to the victim a lot. There are many ways for the culprit to get into the room without actually having the actual keys. I think I can solve this mystery, brother…" Naoto smiled confidently.

"Oh, let's get started then. Go and ask all individuals in the mansion." Minato said.

"Yes, brother…"

The blue-headed siblings were playing a detective video game Minato just bought. Naoto, seemingly intrigued by the mysteries the game presented was treating the game seriously. Minato helped her as well.

"It seems they're having fun," Aigis noted. She was sitting on the couch and a brunette woman in pink halter, Yukari was sitting beside her. On the couch opposite the one they were sitting on were Kanji and Yosuke. Kanji was nibbling his animal crackers, hoping to see the King Penguin, the all-new secret animal cracker. On a single sofa was Junpei, eating a piece of rice cake.

"Yeah, Minato-kun looks very happy," Yukari said before she smiled. She looked at Minato who laughed while Naoto pressed a wrong button on the controller. "He looks cheerful than usual, thanks to Naoto-kun…"

Junpei glanced at both blue-headed siblings after gulping his last rice cake. "Ya know, he looks weird with that goofy face, but who cares? I'm happy for him!" he exclaimed. "But I hope their relationship will remain healthy…"

"Junpei, please don't mention such dirty topic here," Yukari said darkly to Junpei.

Aigis looked at both Naoto and Minato. "Minato-kun is very happy to be by his sister's side. Naoto-san sure is amazing, to be able to give Minato-kun such happiness," she bit her lip. "I have to admit, I feel slightly jealous…"

"Aigis…" Yukari looked into the android's face. "Y-You're not the only one…"

"It is one of my dreams to give happiness for Minato-kun…" Aigis smiled sadly. "Since he was little, the universe gave him such a hard time. He became the world's plaything. He lost his parents, living with countless relatives strangers, having Death sealed inside him and…" she paused. "…he once died for the sake of the world. I am amazed of him because he doesn't break after all those things happened to him, but he certainly not happy, isn't he?" she looked at Minato. "But now, he's happy. One of the things he supposed to lose is returned to him. Naoto-san gives him that happiness…"

"I-I'm jealous of Naoto-kun too…" Yukari stated. "Before I knew Minato-kun, I thought I was the most unfortunate person in the world. I lost my dad, my mom left me and I had to live by myself. I thought I was the only one living with such hardship, but I was wrong. Minato-kun suffered the most…" her shoulders trembled. After gaining her own composure and calmed down, she let out a soft sigh. "Minato-kun is truly a jerk. He's the one who was troubled the most, but I was the one he helped. He could ask for my help…" then she looked at Naoto. "But Naoto-kun helps him for his happiness, while I couldn't even do that…"

"Yes, we're failures…"

"Total failures…"

Both Yukari and Aigis went towards different corners of the living room and sulked. Each of them had some kind of gloomy-looking clouds above their heads.

"Umm… Yukari-san, Aigis-san, I don't think you should sulk that way," Yosuke said. "I mean, I don't really know how hard Minato-san life was, but you two are kind a bit… too worried. Are all girls like this?" he asked.

Junpei chuckled before he said, "Man, you're too young for that womanly affair. You'll understand it well once you get married, Yosuke…" he grinned.

Aigis sighed before she stood up. "Junpei-san's right, Yosuke-san…" Aigis looked at the brunette man with her blue eyes. "You are Chie-san's guardian and as her guardian, it is your responsibility to understand her well. After all, both of you really match each other, hehe…"

"A-Aigis-san, what are you talking about?" Yosuke exclaimed. "T-There's no way I can understand her!" he seemed visibly flustered.

Aigis smiled understandingly to Yosuke. "Don't worry, Yosuke-san, at long last, the moment where you can't deny your own true feeling to her will finally come. Umm, I am curious about this, but aren't you supposed to be by Chie-san's side right now?" Aigis asked.

Yosuke gulped. "Y-You see… she's treating me like a caged animal! There's one time she asked me to jump through a ring of fire just for fun! And the worst of it, the witch Yukiko asked her to order me to do that!" he blurted out.

"Oh… that's quite a peculiar way to express love to someone," Aigis commented.

"That's not love, that's cruelty!" Yosuke exclaimed. "Imagine, every time I screw up, she will punish me with a punishment worth for a death sentence! Grrr… I never thought a princess bloodline can be that barbaric, meat-headed girl…" he said.

"And please tell me more about that barbaric, meat-headed girl, can you?" suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from behind. Yosuke was shocked by the voice. He slowly turned behind and almost turned into bloodless meat as he saw a familiar brunette-headed woman clad in green kimono. Her hazel eyes seemed to release some kind of crimson glint as she growled at the terrified man. "What in the world are you thinking, Yosuke? You're leaving your post again!"

"No-no-no-no! Please don't punish me!" Yosuke pleaded. "I'll give you whatever you want! Just say it, steak, food or whatever it is!"

"Steak?" Chie's expression changed from being truly furious into pleased one. "Oh… that's a way to compensate it…" she grinned. "Okay, Hanamura Yosuke! You are hereby sentenced to treat me with the ultimate combo! Steak!" she said.

Yosuke whimpered. "There goes a couple years worth of my money," he pathetically took out his wallet, looking into it to give a last look for his hard-earned money. "Well… if you say so, Yukari-san, Aigis-san, do you want to have some too?" he looked at both women.

Yukari shook her head. "I'll pass. I'm on diet…"

"I will like to join you, but I think maybe other day, okay?" Aigis declined Yosuke's offer politely. "I have to watch Minato-kun closely…" she looked at Minato who was helping Naoto with the game.

"If you say so…" Yosuke said before he looked at Chie. "Okay, since you're asking for it, why don't you have a ride with me?" he said. "My bike, I mean…"

"Do you have extra helmet?" Chie asked.

"You won't need that, Chie. Your skull is tougher than asphalt…" Yosuke commented.

"I'm angry,"

"Don't punish me…"

Both Yosuke and Chie went out from the living room, leaving the others. "I hope they'll be alright…" Yukari said.

"Don't worry. I believe Yosuke-san will protect her…" Aigis said reassuringly. Both of them looked at both blue-haired siblings who were playing the detective video game. Naoto seemed to succeed in solving the presented mystery.

_STAGE CLEARED!_

Naoto turned to her brother, giving him a satisfied grin. "And now, the mystery solved!" she announced.

"Uh… how can you beat that stage? Even I can't complete it," Minato asked while looking into the screen that showed Naoto's highest scores.

Naoto closed her eyes. "I have to admit, if this game is a real one, this may be one difficult case. All red herrings are there and all clues seem to show different solutions," she slowly reopened her eyes. "But I won't do that. During the murder case years ago, Souji-senpai had taught all of us an important lesson; the truth is always there…"

"Heh, he's quite a good role model, huh?" Minato asked, grinning.

Naoto nodded. "At that time, even when we were given a solution to end the case easily, he chose to unravel the truth entirely. At that time, we almost made a big mistake. We were contemplating to kill a righteous yet misguided man," she vividly remembered the day when they cornered Namatame after Nanako's 'death'. "Until now, I am amazed on how Souji-senpai could see a glimpse of truth that we couldn't clearly see…"

"That man can see through lies, Naoto…" Minato said. "But it's not like he's the only the one who can do that. Even I, you, everyone else can do just that if one strives to reach out to the truth…" he placed his hand on Naoto's head. "Now, no lies can deceive my love to you, Naoto. I promise I'll be a good brother to you…" he smiled gently, making Naoto's face reddened.

"B-Brother…" Naoto stared into Minato's face, their bluish eyes staring into each other. Somehow, the other females in the room were agitated by the display of affection between those two siblings.

_"J-J-Just look at her, how can she do that? I mean, I-I-I…"_ Yukari was contemplating with herself. She was extremely flustered by the thought that she couldn't even give such affection to Minato. _"H-How can I lose to Naoto-kun? This world is unfair!"_

Junpei then looked at Aigis. He was shocked by the smoke steaming out of Aigis' false ears. The sound of spinning motors and gears were clearly heard within her machination. She was trembling as she looked at both loving siblings.

"Umm… Aigis, are you okay?" Junpei asked.

"I-I'm okay…" Aigis stuttered. More smoke came out from her ears. "I-It's not like I'm crying or something!" she said before her eye-cleaning fluid came out from her eyes. "I'm not crying!" she assured even while her face was wet with her tears.

Junpei sighed. "Well, it's getting late. I've to get Chidori. See ya later, guys!" he said before he exited.

Meanwhile, Kanji was looking at Naoto. He couldn't help but to feel very happy to see Naoto's delighted expression. He would have lied if he said that he didn't have any feeling towards that short, blue-haired ace detective Shirogane Naoto. Moreover, he felt glad that Naoto is a girl. While he still had trouble coping with his own feeling, he couldn't ask more than seeing Naoto happy.

Then he looked at Minato. He had to admit that he didn't quite trust that man, but considering Minato is Naoto's brother, he tried to make himself trust him. Naoto changed drastically, from a cool, calculating and stern detective into a loving, gentle young woman because of him.

"Kanji-kun, is something wrong?" Naoto asked.

"O-Oh, it's nothin'! I was just thinking 'bout somethin'," Kanji shook his head evasively. Minato looked at Kanji with a frown before the blue-haired man smiled.

Kanji couldn't quite trust that smile. It looked suspicious.

"Kanji-kun, let's talk about something after this," Minato said.

It's totally suspicious.

~darkness~

"So, 'sup?" Kanji asked. Both Minato and Kanji were in the living room. Naoto went to the shooting range, having her shooting training. "Is it important?"

Minato chuckled. "Indeed, Kanji-kun. It's very important," Minato replied.

"So, what is it?" Kanji asked eagerly.

Minato grinned before he answered, "It's about my baby sister, Naoto," that answer made Kanji spat out his tea.

"E-Eh, 'sup with that?" Kanji stuttered.

"Well, since both of us are guys, please answer me honestly," Minato said in quite serious tone.

"O-Okay…" Kanji nodded.

"Kanji-kun, listen closely. Do you like my sister, Shirogane Naoto?" Minato asked.

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, in the shooting range…

Bam!

"Huh, it's weird. How come I miss it?" Naoto muttered as she missed her mark while shooting the target.

Back into the living room, Kanji was exasperated by Minato's question.

"H-Hey, what the hell are you saying?" Kanji exclaimed. His face was red due to embarrassment. "'Sup with that question?"

Minato cleared his throat before he repeated the question with stern, serious tone. "Listen to me real carefully. Do you, Tatsumi Kanji, by any chance, like my baby sister, Shirogane Naoto?" he asked.

"Uh…" Kanji's face reddened. Minato's question really caught him off guard. "W-Well…"

Minato smiled understandingly. "Don't worry, Kanji-kun. We're men, this will be our little secret, okay?" he said reassuringly. "Just answer me, Kanji-kun. Do you like her?"

"I…" Kanji stuttered. He imagined Naoto's cute, adorable face. Just imagining it made his heart skipped. "I… I like her…" he croaked. He closed his eyes, really embarrassed by his confession.

"Come out again?" Minato grinned, pretending to not listening what Kanji had said earlier.

Kanji grunted. "I… I like her…" he said, lowering his face.

Meanwhile, in shooting range…

Clang!

"Ah, my bullet…" Naoto looked at the bullet that fell from her hand while she was reloading her revolver. She didn't quite understand. She felt like something was bothering her.

She crouched before she picked the bullet. Examining the little piece of gun powder-filled metal, she sighed. "Maybe it's just my imagination," she concluded.

Back into the living room, Minato leisurely sipped his tea while waiting Kanji to regain his composure after being severely flustered by his embarrassing confession. Minato let out a soft sigh before he placed the teacup on the table as he looked at the younger man's face.

"So… I assume that you're telling me the truth, aren't you?" Minato asked, his face showed an amused smile.

Still flustered, Kanji looked at another direction. "Why would I lie, dammit!" he grunted. Minato chuckled by Kanji's reply.

"So, why don't you just confess to her?" Minato suggested.

"Eh? T-That's…" Kanji's face reddened again.

Minato chuckled before he stood up. "You know, you need to work for that or you'll end up being like this forever. A little courage won't hurt, Kanji-kun…" he smirked.

Kanji's shoulder drooped at the mention of the word 'courage'. "I… I don't know, Minato-san. I don't think it works for me," he said, looking down at his cup. "I don't have anything impressive like her. I mean, she's the Ace Detective and me…" he sighed. "All I can do is just sewing."

"There are not many people who can sew while being able to kick ass, Kanji-kun. Actually, out of all you people, you're the most fascinating one. Your aura reminds me of someone I truly respected," Minato said, grinning.

"Someone… you truly respected?" Kanji frowned.

"It's a long story. It is a tale of a man who gave up his life for the sake of others. He acted cold and aloof to everyone but in fact, he truly cared all of them. He never wished to be alone, never wished to be different, he just wanted people to be with him, but he never said it. He selflessly took the bullet that supposed to hit a person who wished to kill him and then he died for his sake. To simply put it, he's the greatest man I ever knew, Kanji-kun," Minato said, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

"So you have someone you truly looked up, aren't you?" Kanji asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Minato nodded. "But while seeing you remind me of that person, you're so much luckier. You're blessed with all your friends, having no problem expressing your true self, being okay with your own self, to not have to suppress your own feeling for the sake of others, you can do better than that person, Kanji-kun. You may become a great man, greater than that person," he said.

"Becoming… a great man?" Kanji muttered.

"And becoming a greater man means that you won't have to deceive your own self and be able to stand in front of obstacles. Let just say that confessing to Naoto is one of those things…" Minato suggested.

"S-So, what should I do?" Kanji asked uncertainly.

Minato chuckled. "Oh please, you don't have to worry about that thing too much. Of course, I'm helping you…" he gave Kanji a very suspicious smile. "I'm sure it will work out entirely fine…"

"Uh, yeah…" Kanji nodded. "I guess count me in…"

~darkness~

Kanji felt like slamming his own head on the wall many times as his numerous attempts to express his true feeling towards Naoto had failed in rather spectacular ways. His first try was to make something that could impress her by giving her a self-made doll, only to get a rather simple 'thank you' than a sign of knowing his affection towards her. Then several tries had been done, only to repeat the same failures.

"What else can go wrong?" Kanji grunted. He sat on the couch in the living room of Naoto's home after meeting Minato. "Why can't she know about my true feeling?" he muttered.

_"Try to make something simpler, because she may be attracted by simplicity,"_ Kanji recalled what Minato had told him some days earlier. He had done many simple things to impress her like making cute dresses, cooking awesome-leveled cuisines, knitting cute dolls and many more, but he only could get Naoto's normal 'thank you', which frustrated Kanji even more.

"It should be something," Kanji said, lowering his head. "It has to be something," he mumbled. "Why, why can't I do this?" he said frustratingly.

"Kanji-kun, why are you here?" suddenly, Naoto's voice was heard. "Ah, are you alright? You look depressed," she said as she appeared. She wore her usual jacket and black trousers.

"Huh, i-it's nothin' much," Kanji said evasively. Naoto stared at him for a moment before she smiled understandingly.

"You better tell me then, Kanji-kun," Naoto said, sitting beside Kanji. "After all, we are friends, right?" she said, beaming a very dazzling smile to him. Kanji was taken aback by such a joyful smile.

"Uh, it's alright," Kanji shook his head.

Naoto sighed. "You never change, Kanji-kun. We've been friends for many years, but this is your attitude that never changes. If you're much open, then it will be a lot better, right?" Naoto tilted her head. Kanji felt like his heart skipped faster than usual, pumping his blood into his head in relatively higher pace, making him feeling slightly nauseous.

"Uh, sorry for that," Kanji said apologetically. "You know, you're a lot friendlier than before, Naoto. I'm really glad you becoming this," Kanji tried to give his best smile.

"Am I?" Naoto looked at Kanji's face as she tilted her head. "Well, you too, Kanji-kun, you're more approachable compared to the time I first met you. You know what? I really like this current you," she smiled brightly and Kanji felt like his face had turned red due to embarrassment.

"Eh? You… you like me?" Kanji asked stupidly.

Naoto nodded. "As a friend, I really like you. Same like senpai and the others, I really like you," she said.

"I… I see…" Kanji said, sounding disappointed. She only liked him as a friend, only that. She didn't share the same affection like him. "W-Well, t-that's good."

"K-Kanji-kun, are you alright?" Naoto asked worriedly.

"I-I'm okay," Kanji said. "I'm really okay," he kept insisting.

"B-But, you're crying," Naoto stated.

"Huh?" Kanji brought up his hand on his cheek and felt the warm moisture rolling down from his eyes. Yes, he was crying. "Huh?" he was confused. Why would he cry like this?

"Kanji-kun, what's wrong?" Naoto kept asking. "Did you hurt yourself or what?"

Kanji gritted his teeth. He could no longer bear this, he had to blurt it out or he would end up hurting himself. Immediately he grabbed Naoto's shoulders, catching her by surprise. He brought her up, forcing her to stand up. Confused, Naoto looked up at Kanji's crying face.

"Yes…" Kanji started. "I cry because I am hurt…" he said, looking straight into Naoto's blue eyes. "I am hurt by letting this feeling being kept locked inside my chest. It hurts, it totally hurts…" he closed his eyes. "So, please listen me carefully, Shirogane Naoto. This is the only way for me to end this pain."

"Huh?" Naoto was surprised.

"Dammit…" Kanji muttered. "I can't believe I'll be doing this…" he grunted before he took a deep breath. "To tell you the truth, I always like you, no, like is not a good definition. What I really mean is that I totally _love_ you. I really want you and I want you to know what I feel," Kanji said. "Since the first day I knew you, I can't forget you even once. And now, I'm telling you this," he sighed. "I love you…"

"Ah…" Naoto was awestruck by Kanji's bold confession. "Uh… w-well…" she touched Kanji's hands that were holding her shoulders, forcing him to let her free. "I…" she looked at Kanji's eyes, seemingly conflicted by what Kanji had said to her just now. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"Damn…" Kanji grunted. "I confess to you, and this is what I get? Well, it's not like I really expect you to accept it, but please think about it. Hope you can think well, Naoto," he said before he turned around, ready to leave the mansion.

"Kanji-kun," Naoto's voice prompted Kanji to stop. "Do you really mean that?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," Kanji nodded. "What else that thing supposes to mean anyway?"

"Umm, nothing," Naoto shook her head. "Well, I'll think about it," she said, averting her gaze from Kanji's eyes. Her face was red. "I'll really think about it. Anyway, thank you…" she said, trying to give him her best smile.

It was a dazzling smile, it rendered Kanji speechless. A very heartfelt smile, a smile which came from her heart, just looking at it made Kanji's heart skipped faster.

"Uh, you're welcome," Kanji responded lamely. "Don't force yourself, okay? See ya later," Kanji said, leaving the mansion, leaving the still smiling Naoto alone.

_"I love you…"_

Naoto chuckled as she recalled the confession.

"It's not that bad either," Naoto muttered. "Tatsumi Kanji-kun, you're really interesting."

~darkness~

Hello, it's me, Albireo Imma! Sorry for such late update! This is just another light-hearted chapter after resting for several months. Thank you for reading this story and the last but not least, please read and review!

Albireo Imma


	78. IMPORTANT NOTE!

Note: Due to some inconsistencies of this story, the Darkness within Us, I decide to put a rest for it, a hiatus for undecided period. Thank you for those who support this story, and I'm sorry if I don't reach your expectation. This story may or not may be continued, so that's it. Please support my other stories.

Albireo Imma/Prince Arjuna


End file.
